Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum is undoubtedly the new face of his franchise, and he recently received high praise from another player who quickly became synonymous with his respective organization.

Miami Heat legend Dwayne Wade has been retired for multiple years now, but the future Hall of Famer is still very involved with today's game. He holds a stake in the Utah Jazz, is close with many players, and is tuned into the current landscape of the NBA. When he was asked about Tatum, one of his friends in the league, he told Sports Illustrated that the rising star is one of the best guys to watch right now.

“He's one of my favorite players in the NBA,” Wade declared. “He's one of my favorite people in the NBA to communicate with and to talk with, to do anything with, and I want to see him get everything he wants from the game.”

Although Wade's former team eliminated Tatum's squad from the 2023 postseason, it's all love between the two. The Heat veteran even had some advice for the 25-year-old following Boston's disappointing exit in the Eastern Conference Finals.

“Head up high, keep taking the hits, keep learning from them,” Wade said. “He's had a lot of success in this game but hasn't had the ultimate success I'm sure he wants. He wants to play for that championship. He wants to win that championship.”

Unlike a lot of NBA greats, Wade captured a championship very early in his career. Tatum would like to follow suit, yet Wade pointed out that it won't be easy, no matter how good you are.

“You don't just win because that's what you want to do. Everything has to align,” he said. “You've got to be healthy at the right time. You've got to be making shots at the right time. Like, there are so many things that come into play for you to win a championship.”

Last season, the Celtics weren't making shots at the right time, as they went extremely cold from deep against Miami. Neither team ended up winning it all, yet there's a fair chance the two Eastern Conference foes will meet again in next season's playoffs if everything goes right.

If Tatum and company want to raise the elusive Banner No. 18, they'll need to listen to Wade and realize nothing will be easy. The Celtics didn't heed those words last season when they were upset, but hopefully they'll come together during the 2023-24 campaign and bounce back from their previous disappointment.