Boston Celtics budding star forward Jayson Tatum already has plenty of game, though he's still adding elements to his hoops repertoire.
And now, ahead of his fourth NBA season, he's added 10 more pounds of muscle, too.
“I’ve gained probably about 10 pounds,” Tatum said after Wednesday’s practice, via MassLive. “I think that’s just obviously been in the weight room. … (I’m) getting older, my body is starting to mature. I’m not 19 anymore.”
Tatum's overall physical growth during the condensed off-season is scary for the rest of the league. The All-Star, who is still somehow only 22 years old, supposedly grew two inches and now stands at 6'10”, if you believe the recent remarks from Celtics head coach Brad Stevens.
When asked whether he believes he's reached “superstar” status in the league, Tatum deflected that assessment onto others.
“I don’t’ really know what that means, you know, what makes someone a superstar? I guess that’s for other people to decide if you are or if you aren’t,” Tatum said. “I don’t really get caught up into technically being a superstar. I just feel like each year I want to improve, I want to get better. I don’t put a ceiling on where I’m trying to get to. I want to be one of the best. I want to be one of the best to play this game. I want to be one of the best in the game. So I don’t think that now I feel different. Every year I take the approach that I just want to be better than I was last year.”
Tatum posted career-highs across the board in 2019-20, averaging 23.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game, while shooting 45 percent from the field and 40.3 percent on 7.1 3-point attempts per game.
The Celtics tip off their 2020-21 regular season against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Dec. 23 at the TD Garden.
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