Gasper: We don’t need Jayson Tatum trying to prove he’s the MVP

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum was asked recently on who he thinks is the best player in the NBA. With Tatum answering that he was the best, there has been a lot of talk about Tatum and being the NBA regular season MVP. On Friday's Felger and Mazz, Chris Gasper joined the guys and discussed Tatum and NBA MVP talks.

The Boston Celtics just need to keep playing the way they've been playing...

Mazz: Point is, he's become a more efficient player because he has better pieces around him. The assists have gone up, the turnovers have gone down. The shots have gone down. I like what I've seen from Tatum this year. For the most part, I like what I've seen from Jaylen Brown. I think his game is improved too. And Porzingis and Holiday are the new guys, so by definition they're going to come in and not be greedy. You know they're going to come in and be a little more careful. The one guy who's really gained more than anybody is Derrick White. Who, by the way, deserves it because he's a consummate team player, never says anything, and is now scoring more and getting some recognition that he's probably deserved for a long, long time. So that part of it I'm okay with. I was just curious as to whether you thought Tatum is impressionable. He's impressionable. So it's a good point, Chris, if they start chirping with this stuff, it can get in his head. And I would say overall they've been in a good place. He's been in a good place. Don't f with it.

Chris Gasper: Like that's exactly the way I feel. Don't mess with it. Like we don't need to interject this. We don't need him out there trying to become the face of the league or trying to prove that he's the MVP. Like, just play the way you've been playing. You're the best team in the league. It's fitting together seamlessly. It's working great. They're a joy to watch. Let's not get distracted by this other stuff that doesn't really matter. Like when you look at it, Kobe Bryant, right? Kobe Bryant only won one MVP, which to me is a travesty that he only won one. But do you think he would give up any of his championships to any of his five titles for another MVP? Do you think Steve Nash would give up his two MVP's for one championship? I mean, come on.

Listen to Felger and Mazz from 2-6 every Monday-Friday on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with hosts Mike Felger, Tony “Mazz” Massarotti, and Jim Murray “Big Jim”. You can listen live in the Sports Hub App and subscribe to their podcasts here. Follow @FelgerAndMazz on Twitter to keep up with the show!

On Thursday's Felger & Mazz radio program, Tony Massarotti ranked the best current players in the National Basketball Association.

Before we get to "Mazz' Tiers" of current NBA players, let's look at some news and notes from around the Association...

Now, here are Tony Massarotti's best players currently in the NBA...

Nikola Jokic

Jayson Tatum

Anthony Edwards

Luka Doncic

Joel Embiid

Stephen Curry

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Donovan Mitchell

Jimmy Butler

Kawhi Leonard

LeBron James

Kevin Durant

Jalen Brunson

De'Aaron Fox

Ryan Beaton is a producer for 985thesportshub.com. You can follow Ryan at @ry_beaton on Twitter.

Listen to Felger and Mazz from 2-6 every Monday-Friday on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with hosts Mike Felger, Tony “Mazz” Massarotti, and Jim Murray “Big Jim”. You can listen live in the Sports Hub App and subscribe to their podcasts here. Follow @FelgerAndMazz on Twitter to keep up with the show!