Jayson Tatum was playing the best basketball of his life over the final two months of the pre-shutdown season. The young Boston Celtics star was named to the All-Star team, and it unlocked a level of confidence that turned him from ‘budding star’ to one of the best players in the game over that stretch.
Much of Boston’s success in the Orlando bubble hinges on whether Tatum can stay hot and be the best player in a playoff series. The Celtics already boast a starting lineup that how has three current or former All-Stars and one player, Jaylen Brown, who made a strong case to be one as well. If Tatum can shine and be the best player of that group, then Boston’s championship odds greatly improve.
As good as Tatum has been, he certainly doesn’t appear to be satisfied.
“I worked on my body, just trying to maintain my weight, try to maintain strength, keep my muscle mass and body fat the same,” Tatum said when asked on Saturday about his time away from the game. “I did a pretty good job of that. And I guess just trying to polish up on everything. I can get better at everything. So I guess the answer is just trying to take it up another level, honestly.”
Tatum did a little more than maintain his body. A recent workout video released by the Celtics showed a shirtless Tatum looking like he made good use of the weights the Celtics provided their players during quarantine. When asked if he added some muscle over the past few months, he sheepishly said, “yeah, I did. But it’s not for public knowledge. I can’t tell everybody my secrets.”
Adding muscle was a directive set by Danny Ainge at the beginning of Tatum’s career. The skinny wing from Duke is growing into his 6-foot-9 frame, and growing his game to match. After early season struggles that stemmed from some experimentation and some pressure he put on himself, Tatum has blossomed into a true star. He averaged 29.9 points per game after the All-Star Break and saw noticeable upticks in most of his offensive statistics, all while playing pretty good defense. It’s something that’s already drawn the highest praise from teammate Marcus Smart.
“He’s 6′9″ with a 7-foot wingspan and he’s actually sitting down and guarding guys, let alone coming down the offensive end and doing what he’s doing,” Smart said last week. “I just think he’s on the right track to becoming if not the best player, one of the best players to ever do this in this game.”
The Celtics hope the confidence they have in each other can translate to the court at Walt Disney World. That, and Tatum’s elevated game, makes them feel good about making a deep playoff run.
“We have a realistic chance. We have the talent, the experience, the depth, and we compete with the best of them,” Tatum said. “We scrap, we play defense, and our mindset is to never give up. We have a lot of guys who have been through a lot with each other, been through a lot of battles over the last couple years, so we hold each other accountable, trust each other and we’re going to fight til there’s zero on the clock.”
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