Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum was recently criticized by an anonymous assistant coach in the league who said that he doesn't care about winning and only about individual accolades. Brad Stevens was evidently furious at these remarks and gave his brutally honest opinion on the hate towards his franchise star.
Via Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston:
“That quote was absolutely ridiculous, to be honest. I don’t ever react to that stuff and I actually sent a note to one of the people I work with like, ‘This is idiotic.’
“Just be around this guy everyday. He loves to win. He's sitting there with his feet in the ice bucket after we lose and looking despondent. This guy's competitive. I know that for a fact. I'm glad he's on the Celtics.”
Of course, the anonymous source wouldn't reveal his identity because he would've been ripped to shreds by anyone who loves the Celtics, whether it's someone in the organization or a fan. There's really no evidence behind what he said, either. Tatum is a cornerstone for this franchise and clearly wants to win. If anyone knows best, it's Stevens, who coached him for several years before moving to a front-office role in the offseason.
The Celtics may have had some internal problems earlier this season with Marcus Smart calling out Tatum and Jaylen Brown for being selfish, but they're figuring it out now. Boston is 6-4 in their last 10 games and just won two straight after beating Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. Tatum did his part as well, pouring in 26 points and grabbing 16 rebounds.
![[NBA awards] Nikola Jokic next to Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama, Jalen Brunson, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwp.clutchpoints.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F04%2F2024-NBA-awards-Official-picks-for-MVP-All-NBA-more-150x150.jpg&w=320&q=75)
Players like Tatum are wired differently. This type of hate will just fuel him to silence the doubters.
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