NBA Twitter Hyped for Jayson Tatum's Dominance in Celtics' Season Opener vs. 76ers
Oct 19, 2022
BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 18: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics shoots the ball during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 18, 2022 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics started the 2022-23 season on fire Tuesday thanks to a 126-117 home win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
On a night where the Celtics honored late franchise legend Bill Russell, Tatum delivered 35 points on 13-of-20 shooting alongside 12 rebounds and four assists. He took over in the third quarter with 17 points on 7-of-9 field goals alone.
Simply put, Tatum looked unstoppable at times against a 76ers squad expected to be one of the league's top Eastern Conference teams this year. Philadelphia had no answer for him defensively, especially in a third quarter where Boston outscored the visitors 35-25.
The season is only one game old, but Tatum even looked like he could be inserting himself into the MVP race as well. His offensive efficiency, rebounding and defensive effort led to a relatively stress-free fourth quarter en route to the win.
Tatum also got plenty of help from his teammates. Jaylen Brown matched Tatum's point total with 35 of his own, and Malcolm Brogdon impressed in his Celtics debut with 16 points. Grant Williams (15 points) and Marcus Smart (14 points, seven assists) also contributed.
But Tatum was the star Tuesday, and Twitter recognized the fact that it appears the Duke star has taken a big leap since last season, when he earned All-NBA First Team honors and led Boston to the Eastern Conference title.
Jayson Tatum has been everywhere defensively early on for the Celtics. Getting involved in all sorts of stuff at that end, including nearly getting a steal off of Joel Embiid on that last possession.
PREMATURE EVALUATION: Jayson Tatum is opening up this season with the highest level of off-the-bounce aggressiveness of his career, and he's doing so with strength through contact. This is a significant development.
The Celtics will now head to Miami for an Eastern Conference Finals rematch with the Heat on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Jayson Tatum Calls Celtics' NBA Finals Loss to Warriors a 'Learning Experience'
Oct 5, 2022
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) looks to drive against Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins (22) during Game 3 of basketball's NBA Finals, Wednesday, June 8, 2022, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Jayson Tatum is determined to not make his first NBA Finals experience his last.
“It was just a learning experience, learning a lesson,” Tatum told Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “Maybe do some things differently next time if you get to that point. Obviously, it's tough to learn a lesson that way, but it is what it is …
"It just fuels you. Motivates you to get back to that point."
Tatum was limited to just 21.5 points per game over the six-game series, shooting 36.7 percent from the floor as the Golden State Warriors defense thwarted nearly all of his efforts inside of the arc. While Tatum was able to stay involved offensively by averaging 7.0 assists per game, he spent most of the Finals being outperformed by teammate Jaylen Brown.
The three-time All-Star played through a shoulder injury and pain in his right wrist throughout the Finals but never made the issues public until the offseason.
"It affected me, but that's why I never talked about it," Tatum said. “I didn’t show people I was wearing a brace [off the court] because if I'm out there, if you playing, then you playing. So, if you can't play, then you can't play. It was June, so everybody was dealing with something. I wasn't the only guy out there that was banged up."
Tatum will likely have to take on an outsized leadership role on and off the court this season. Ime Udoka's suspension for multiple team policy violations leaves the Boston Celtics entering a season with a new head coach for the second straight year, which will force Tatum and Brown to step up as the true pillars of the locker room.
Tatum has largely been a lead-by-example player over the course of his career, with Marcus Smart being highlighted as the franchise's emotional leader. But the Finals showed emotional leadership can only go so far.
Tatum is the best player on the roster and has a chance to establish himself as the latest all-time great to wear a Celtics uniform. His next step will be embracing the role his play has earned him.
Celtics' Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown Discuss Ime Udoka's Season-Long Suspension
Sep 26, 2022
CANTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 26: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics addresses the media during Boston Celtics Media Day at High Output Studios on September 26, 2022 in Canton, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images)
Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka was suspended for the entire 2022-23 season after violating team policies, reportedly having an intimate relationship with a female employee of the organization.
On Monday at the team's media day, stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown discussed the situation.
"I guess I feel like everybody else. It's a lot to process," Tatum told reporters. "Unexpected especially coming into the season when you feel a certain way, coming off last year that you're excited and trying to do all these things. It's just a lot, if I'm being honest, and along with everybody else still trying to process it all knowing that we start practice tomorrow."
"It's just a lot. If I'm being honest... you're still trying to process it all knowing we start practice tomorrow."
He added he didn't have much more insight on the situation than the public.
"You read the statement, you watch the press conference, apparently there are a lot of things they can't speak about," he told reporters. "I’m kind of in the same boat. I don't know. It's hard for me to answer if things were handled in the right way or they weren't. ... I just don't know."
He also said he found out "on Twitter, like everybody else," and hasn't spoken with Udoka in the aftermath of the suspension.
Brown also said he hasn't spoken to Udoka.
"No conversations as far as me on my end," he told reporters. "Initial reactions, we were all shocked what was going on, a little confused, but a lot of the information wasn't being shared with us or members of the team, so you can't really comment on it."
"I wish we had more details," he added. "From what we know, it's hard to make a decision based on whether it's consensual or not in the workplace, which we know has happened before in the workplace. It looks like there is more to it than what meets the eye."
Both Tatum and Brown expressed optimism about the upcoming season under new head coach Joe Mazzulla, however:
Jayson Tatum when asked if the Celtics can get back to the Finals and win a championship this season: “Absolutely I believe that, and I think everybody else in the locker room does as well.”
Jaylen Brown said the best thing for the team is to move on and focus on what’s ahead. As for Joe Mazzulla, Brown said he’s “optimistic.” He said Mazzulla believes in him, that he believes in Mazzulla and that he doesn’t “see a limit on my game.”
The Celtics reached the NBA Finals last season, losing to the Golden State Warriors in six games, and will be one of the favorites yet again in a loaded Eastern Conference.
There's no doubt that training camp will open with a certain level of uncertainty about the upcoming season given the nature of Udoka's suspension, however.
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Celtics 2022-23 Schedule: Top Games, Championship Odds and Record Predictions
Aug 17, 2022
Miami - May 29: Boston Celtics Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown (7) after they defeated the Miami Heat 100-96. The Boston Celtics visit the Miami Heat for game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at FTX Arena in Miami, FL on May 29, 2022. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
After making their long-awaited breakthrough and reaching the NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics will have a massive bullseye on their back during the 2022-23 season.
The Celtics return all of their key players from 2021-22, and their long-term outlook remains extremely bright. Jayson Tatum only turned 24 in March. Jaylen Brown will be 26 in October. At 28, Marcus Smart looks like a grizzled veteran compared to some of his teammates.
As a result, Boston didn't need to radically transform its roster in order to feel better about its odds of chasing a title in 2023.
By acquiring Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari, the team strengthened some of its weaknesses. If Tatum and Brown can continue to make marginal improvements, then the Celtics might have the strongest roster not just in the Eastern Conference, but also across the entire league.
Just because the Celtics haven't completed a blockbuster trade doesn't mean the front office hasn't tried.
The Athletic's Shams Charania reported July 25 that the team was willing to offer Brown, Derrick White and a draft pick for Kevin Durant. The Brooklyn Nets countered by requesting more picks and Smart.
News of Durant's trade request understandably unleashed a flurry of takes and hypothetical trades. The fact he remains a member of the Nets shows how putting a trade together is much easier said than done.
Brooklyn has operated like a team that's still aiming for a championship, too. You don't sign T.J. Warren and give up a first-round pick for Royce O'Neale if you're looking to tank.
As long as Durant and Kyrie Irving are on the roster, the Nets will be a credible threat to win the conference.
Milwaukee Bucks (First Game: Dec. 25)
As with the Celtics, there wasn't a pressing obligation for the Milwaukee Bucks to take a big swing this offseason. They only finished two games off the pace for the top seed in the East and rounded into form nicely in time for the postseason.
With Khris Middleton healthy, Milwaukee might have even taken the Celtics down in the conference semifinals. The Bucks ran out of gas by the time Game 7 rolled around. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday combined to score more than half of the team's offensive output in a 109-81 defeat.
The 2020-21 champions aren't going anywhere, and their exit at the hands of the Celtics provides an obvious source of motivation for the year ahead.
Considering the direction of both franchises, Boston vs. Milwaukee should be the most engaging on-court rivalry in the East for the foreseeable future.
Season Forecast
There are a few variables for the Celtics that could lower their ceiling slightly.
And as good an addition as Brogdon is in theory, he's played 60-plus games just twice in six years. A nagging Achilles injury dogged him across last season.
At center, Boston is leaning heavily on another player with an iffy injury history (Robert Williams III) and a 36-year-old Al Horford.
Perhaps Brown becomes fed up at getting linked to whatever marquee star the Celtics are pursuing.
"Jaylen won't let this affect his play, but he won't forget this, either," an East scout said to Bleacher Report's A. Sherrod Blakely after news of the Durant offer surfaced. "The kind of season he had, the team had…I know this is a business and he knows it's a business, but hearing your name in trade rumors, even if it's Kevin Durant in the deal, can't feel good considering how he played against KD and how the Celtics did against the Nets."
If the Celtics experience another sluggish start to the season like the one they had in 2021-22, will head coach Ime Udoka be able to right the ship again?
Boston hasn't hit 60 wins since 2008-09, but that's a benchmark this roster can achieve and possibly surpass. It will hinge on player health and how much Udoka balances success in the regular season against making sure everybody is rested and peaking in time for the playoffs.
Barring a complete collapse, high 40s and a fourth-place finish should be the floor for the 2022-23 Celtics.
Record Prediction: 57-25
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NBA Fans Upset for Jaylen Brown After Pic of Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum on the Court
Aug 16, 2022
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 10: Jaylen Brown #7 and Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics talk over a play in the second quarter against the Golden State Warriors during Game Four of the 2022 NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 10, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Twitter erupted on Monday night after photos showing Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant and Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum participating in an on-court workout together surfaced.
It normally wouldn't be big news for two NBA players who are friends to get some offseason work in together, but since the Celtics have been linked to a Durant trade, the circumstances are far from normal.
Durant's business manager, Rich Kleiman, told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski (h/t ESPN's Tim Bontemps) in June that KD had requested a trade out of Brooklyn.
While nothing has gotten done on that front, several teams have been linked to Durant, and the Celtics are among them.
Last month, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the Celtics offered the Nets Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and a draft pick for Durant, however, the offer was rejected.
The fan reaction to the photo of Durant and Tatum primarily focused on Brown, with both serious and comedic tweets about how he may have reacted to seeing the photos:
If I’m Jaylen Brown this doesn’t sit right with me knowing the franchise tried to trade me for me for him and my right hand man shooting around with him
At 33 years of age, Durant is still one of the NBA's top players. He averaged 29.9 points per game last season.
He also has a Hall of Fame resume to his credit with 12 All-Star nods, four scoring titles, two NBA championships, two NBA Finals MVP awards and one NBA MVP award.
KD was the missing piece to the puzzle that helped the Golden State Warriors win two more championships in the past, and it is fair to wonder if he could serve a similar purpose for a Celtics team that reached the NBA Finals last season before falling to the Warriors.
Tatum is Boston's unquestioned top star after averaging 26.9 points per game during the 2021-22 regular season and 25.6 points during the playoffs, but Brown was integral to the team's success as well.
The one-time All-Star put up 23.6 points per contest in 66 regular-season games last season, plus 23.1 points per game during the postseason.
He is also just 25 years of age, which suggests he may still have plenty of growing and developing left to do.
Trading Brown for anyone would be a risky endeavor because of his potential to become an MVP-caliber player, but if the Celtics can land Durant and make a strong run at a championship, it could be worth it.
Durant and Tatum were teammates on the 2020 United States men's basketball Olympic team, so Monday's photos may be much ado about nothing. However, that won't stop speculation from running rampant.
