Jayson Tatum spent much of his career hearing from critics who said he and Jaylen Brown could never be an effective combination, but he tells NBC Sports Boston that he and Brown never had any doubts (video link). Responding to a question about how their legacy might look if they both spend their entire careers with the Celtics, Tatum said his focus is more immediate.
“We just try to stay in the moment,” he replied. “It’s not necessarily about our legacy will look like if we did this or that. Just trying to be the best versions of ourselves, the best players that we can be and compete at the highest level. I think we really took those next steps last season. We’ll be the first to tell you that we got more to do, more to accomplish. We’re eager to do so.”
There were frequent calls for Boston to break up its star duo last season before the team began rising up the Eastern Conference standings in January. More recently, Brown was reportedly included in the Celtics’ trade offer to Brooklyn for Kevin Durant, but Tatum would like to see their partnership continue.
“Despite all the people that said we couldn’t play together,” Tatum said, “we always believed that we could.”
There’s more from Boston:
- In an interview with Justin Quinn of Celtics Wire, Tatum confirmed the shoulder injury he suffered in the Eastern Conference Finals has healed. “Yeah, it feels a lot better, it got a lot of time to rest that it needed,” Tatum said. “So, it definitely felt a lot better.”
- Grant Williams tells Mike Thomas of Sportscasting.com that he prefers to stay in Boston, but there would be a certain honor in being part of a Durant trade. Williams recalls a story from former Celtics executive Danny Ainge about breaking the news to Al Jefferson that he had been sent to the Timberwolves in the Kevin Garnett deal. “If I get involved in the KD trade — I don’t want to leave Boston, I love Boston, it’s one of the places I want to be — but he’s a top-10 player ever,” Williams said. “You can say, ‘Dang, I got traded for Kevin Durant. I was a value add in that trade.’ It’d be cool to say that, but at the same time, I don’t want to go anywhere. I’d rather stay where I’m at.”
- The Celtics remain the betting favorite to land Durant, per Jeremy Cluff of The Arizona Republic. OddsChecker lists Boston as -175 to be Durant’s next team in updated odds released on Thursday.
Durant to Celtics
Heat did nothing in summer
Durant is not going to the Celtics. He is going to give the Nets a run this year!
Bucks are team to beat not Celtics…..
5 teams could win the East. I don’t think there is a clear favorite.
Of all 5 teams, only the Bucks have won a championship
^ You’re probably twelve or younger.
The Raptors are in the conversation as well IMO, they are just as good if not better than those 5 teams. And they’ve won a chip recently also.
One thing worse than delusional CELTICS fans, are delusional RAPTORS fans.
Yeah? Which delusional fanbase do you like the most?
The Celtics have won 17 championships (1 this century), the Heat have won 3 this century, and the 76ers have won 3 (last century). Not sure who Orien is referring to as #s 4 and 5, but if it’s the Raptors and Bulls, they also have won championships. If it’s the Nets, their chances of making the Finals are infinitesimal.
Well any of the players from those championship teams ain’t walking through the door anytime soon. So again, only the Bucks have won a championship. Unless you think Van Vleet or Haslem gonna put their teams on their backs
^ You don’t make any sense.
You acknowledge those other teams e.g. CELTICS, HEAT, SIXERS, as “those championship teams” …….. yet, you also say only the BUCKS have won a championship.
So right about now. I’d like point out all the geniuses in the media. Who told us Nets would win multiple titles ……..
Now these guys get paid to be informative. And yet are no better than half the geniuses on this board ……. Yeah omg Knicks missed out on this …….
I look at a healthy Bucks team. And they are better than Celtics or Heat. They are not an old team. And now have the fire to want to win it. Ayton and Suns also have something to prove. I see them two right now as teams to beat. I think both East and West are competitive. Haven’t seen that in awhile.
I agree, assuming (a huge if for both) that there’s no more big injuries to stars and that KD & Kyrie stay put this season – this would probably be one of the best seasons in terms of overall parity and competitiveness.
@ KnickAl:
Celtics have more to prove than the Bucks, so I expect them to have the fire to get them back to the Finals (if they don’t trade for KD and can stay healthy).
The Suns have a lot to prove, but it wasn’t exactly a great off season for them as far as getting better. They lost Javale, resigned Biyombo, and added Damion Lee, Jock Landale and (awful) Josh Okogie.
Considering the Ayton drama, and the west teams like the Clippers and Nuggets getting their injured players back, the Suns are unlikely to do better than last season.
If I’m picking an East favorite it would be the Bucks with Middleton back. But us Celtics fans know, as Grant said, we weren’t a polished product as a team last year and Coach expects every individual player to be better. So improved individual play and improved team play and improved bench. I like our chances. Go Celtics!
Celtics stay healthy, there the class of the east. A little nervous about not having a adequate big man backing Horford
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Durant trade to the Celtics is the clickbait story that keeps on giving. Funny to see Grant Williams overrate him, I’m sure most people would put KD between 11 and 20 all time.