Tatum: No motivation wanted after Paris DNPs

BOSTON — Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum joked that his coach, Joe Mazzulla, most likely sees an opportunity to encourage him within the disappointments of an overwhelmingly optimistic 12 months that included an NBA title and a gold medal.

Even with the success, Tatum did not win NBA Finals MVP and was a wholesome scratch in two video games as a part of Crew USA’s run on the Paris Olympics.

“Motivation? I suppose you could possibly say that, if you wish to simplify it,” Tatum stated Tuesday morning on the group’s observe facility as a part of media day, which the Celtics held virtually every week forward of the remainder of the NBA due to their upcoming preseason journey to Abu Dhabi to play the Denver Nuggets. “In actual time, [not playing in the Olympics] was powerful. And Joe, I talked to Joe loads. Joe was most likely the happiest individual on this planet that I did not win Finals MVP and I did not play in two video games of the Olympics. That was odd, but when Joe, it is sensible.”

Whereas Boston lastly reached the mountaintop to say its record-setting 18th NBA title in June, after which Tatum gained his second gold medal in three years a pair months later, loads of consideration was paid to Jaylen Brown edging Tatum out for Japanese Convention finals and NBA Finals MVP honors, in addition to Tatum’s sitting out each video games towards Serbia as a part of the Olympic event.

And whereas Tatum stated he did not want any additional motivation coming into the season, he did admit that the summer time was at instances a difficult one — particularly saying he’d by no means skilled being within the scenario he was through the Olympics.

“Did I want any additional motivation coming into the season? No, I am not gonna give anyone specifically credit score that they are motivating me to return into the season,” Tatum stated. “It was a novel circumstance, one thing I have not skilled earlier than in my enjoying profession. However I am a believer that every thing occurs for a cause. I used to be coming off a championship, highest of highs, cowl of 2K, a brand new contract, and that occurred. No matter the reason being, I have not found out but. However I’m a believer that every thing occurs for a cause.

“But it surely was expertise. We gained a gold medal, I gained my second one, I used to be round a number of the finest gamers to play the sport each day, construct some friendships and was capable of deliver my household on the market and benefit from the Olympics as an entire. In order that was a plus for me, for positive.”

There have been loads of plusses for Tatum over the previous a number of months. He lastly crossed profitable a title off his record, and claimed his third straight first-team All-NBA choice. This summer time, along with profitable that second gold medal, he additionally was placed on the quilt of the most recent NBA 2K online game. Sunday night time, he was in Los Angeles for the premiere of “Beginning 5,” the Netflix documentary he and a number of other different NBA stars took half in.

Now the main focus shifts to the upcoming season and Boston’s hopes of claiming a nineteenth championship banner. And after Tatum lastly claimed the primary title of his profession — after making it to the NBA Finals in 2022 and to the Japanese Convention finals in 4 of the prior six seasons — he admitted it feels loads totally different coming into the season having gained the championship as a substitute of determining easy methods to go about doing so.

“Yeah, it does really feel totally different,” he stated. “Not from a spot of being complacent, not that I am relaxed or snug. It is all about what you are attempting to attain, and we’re attempting to attain greatness. I believed we have been going to win in some unspecified time in the future. We have been at a sustained stage of greatness for six years. Even earlier than that we have been so shut, we have been taking the right steps and we lastly knocked down the door. And it was by no means nearly attempting to simply win one.

“Now you get to a minimum of be in the identical room with the opposite Celtics nice groups, nice gamers. All the fellows I appeared as much as rising up gained a minimum of one championship. Now it is only a dialog of, ‘How nice are you attempting to be? What room or what tier are you attempting to be talked about in when it is all stated and completed?’ And understanding the window you need to maximize that point.

“It does really feel totally different being up right here as a champion and understanding what it takes and desirous to be on the highest of the mountain as many instances as you may.”