Duke basketball: Snub costs Blue Devil $33 million

Voters were unkind to the bank account of a former Duke basketball forward.

Boston Celtics two-time All-Star Jayson Tatum somehow failed to wind up on any of the three 2020-21 All-NBA teams, which the league announced on Tuesday evening. Oh well, the Duke basketball product (2016-17) will just have to do better next year, right?

Well, that sure makes for a sunny outlook. Keep in mind, though, the media members who ignored Tatum’s name on their ballots wound up costing the fourth-year pro the extra $33 million or so that he would have received over the next five years had he garnered just 21 more voting points to squeak past Los Angeles Clippers seven-time All-Star Paul George for the final forward spot.

Yuck.

Also, it’s worth mentioning that Tatum’s 69 voting points were more than the only former Blue Devil who made the cut in four-time All-NBA selection Kyrie Irving (Third Team this time with 61 points). Plus, Tatum held a 2-0 advantage over Irving in First Team votes.

Despite all this, due to the strict terms of the max extension that he signed in November, Tatum is now set to rake in only about $163 million between the next five seasons.

Duke basketball gem’s improvements all for naught in the All-NBA department

It’s difficult to argue against the fact that the 23-year-old Jayson Tatum was deserving of All-NBA honors as the clear No. 1 weapon on a playoff squad.

After all, the 6-foot-8, 210-pound sensation saw an All-NBA Third Team nod last year. And this go-round, his three main averages increased across the board:

• From 23.4 to 26.4 points per game
• From 7.0 to 7.4 rebounds per game
• From 3.0 to 4.3 assists per game

Furthermore, don’t forget that Tatum notched four scoring outings from 40 to 60 points during the regular season.

In other Tuesday news involving Jayson Tatum, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported that the Duke basketball one-and-done has volunteered to play for Team USA in next month’s Tokyo Olympics.