Jayson Tatum proved last year that he can lead the Boston Celtics deep into the playoffs, and this year he's trying to prove that he can help the Green Team win the whole thing. While the start of the playoffs are months away, the 24-year-old has played at an elite level during the 2022-23 campaign, even earning the top spot on the league's most recent MVP Ladder.

But what's the secret to success for the Celtics star this season? Per Tatum's recent interview with The Athletic, he didn't have to make a drastic change to what he does on the court, but rather to what he does off of it.

For example, the three-time All-Star explained how a healthier diet has factored into his improved play this year:

“I got a chef this summer. And I’m not vegan or anything. But I have a plan of what body weight I want to play at, the things that I’m eating, how many times a day I’m eating, a lot of the same things but it’s organic eggs, organic orange juice. Everything is just a lot healthier — cleaner decisions.”

Although crucial, a better diet isn't the only change that has helped Jayson Tatum break records this season. He also credits a more restful offseason that was filled with relaxation rather than constant basketball:

“I had fun this summer. I enjoyed myself. I took trips. But when I started back working out, I may have gone out once or twice in a seven-week span.”

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In prior offseasons, Tatum's summers have been busy, to say the least. In 2019, Tatum played in the FIBA Basketball World Cup for Team USA. During the summer of 2020, he was in the NBA bubble, where Boston pushed the Miami Heat to a grueling Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals. The following year, he helped the United States grab the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

This summer, Tatum didn't participate in any major basketball tournaments. And so far, that extra rest has shown in his play. The MVP frontrunner is putting up 30 points per game to go along with four assists and 8.1 rebounds. These averages are impressive, but Tatum's defensive play has also elevated his game and made him a more complete MVP candidate.

Unfortunately for the C's, this new-and-improved version of Jayson Tatum didn't show up against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night. He struggled to score against the reigning champs and shot a measly 28.6% from the field.

Despite his struggles during the loss to Golden State, the Celtics are still 21-6 and the first seed in the Eastern Conference. Plus, Tatum can right his wrongs if he can lead the C's to wins in their upcoming, back-to-back games versus the Los Angeles Clippers and the rival Los Angeles Lakers.