All-NBA Celtics forward Jayson Tatum was initially frustrated about his selection by Boston in the 2017 draft, he mentioned in a recent interview on NBC Sports Boston (Twitter video link).
“First of all, I didn’t even want to come because I didn’t think I was going to play,” Tatum said (h/t to Jared Weiss of The Athletic for the transcription). “They had Gordon (Hayward), Jaylen Brown, Isaiah Thomas, and (Marcus) Smart, and I didn’t think I was good enough to be on that team. So, it didn’t even cross my mind how to close a game or how to finish. I was just more concerned about getting in the game and starting.”
It’s safe to say that he’s enjoying his time there now. Still just 25, Tatum is already a five-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA selection, and has helped lead Boston to the playoffs across all of his six pro seasons, including the 2022 NBA Finals. At 5-0, the new-look Celtics are already the only remaining undefeated team in the league.
Tatum is currently in the midst of a five-year, maximum-salaried contract extension that will see him remain under team control through 2024/25. He will have a $37.1MM player option in 2025/26.
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- It sounds like Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau is out of excuses for All-Star power forward Julius Randle‘s current slump, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Bondy noted that Thibodeau’s latest postgame remarks, following a Friday loss to the Bucks, was a bit harsher than usual. “You can’t predetermine,” Thibodeau said. “You can’t say, ‘Well, I haven’t had a shot, so now I’m gonna take a shot.’ The game tells you what to do… If you’re open, you shoot. If there’s three guys around, you hit the open man. It’s really simple. It’s not hard.” Through six games, the 6’8″ big man is averaging just 13.7 PPG on .271/.225/.618 shooting splits for the 2-4 Knicks.
- Although he’s off to a stellar start, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse and reigning MVP Joel Embiid are hoping that rising guard Tyrese Maxey can show more aggression in his offense, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “He’s got to not get into those modes where he’s not being more aggressive,” Nurse said. “I’m not criticizing him. I’m just trying to keep imploring that needs to be more aggressive.” Embiid seems to feel similarly. “The key for him is just to be aggressive… and then let the game come to him,” Embiid said. “I think as the game went along, he let the game come to him, and made the right plays. He passed up a couple of shots that I think he should have taken.”
- New Sixers wing Kelly Oubre is also off to a red-hot start for Philadelphia, Pompey adds in a separate piece. Pompey praises the Sixers’ signing of Oubre to a veteran’s minimum deal perhaps the club’s best free agent deal in a while. “I know that I’m very hungry to prove myself in this league,” Oubre said. “Obviously, you know this summer was very stressful to me for me. So I had a lot of pent up energy for this season already built up.” Across five contests, he’s averaging 21 PPG on .536/.448/.857 shooting splits, along with 4.0 RPG.