Jayson Tatum sets his sights on a championship, leaving praise behind: "I don't look for that"
Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics continue to play consistent basketball and lead the way in the Eastern Conference with the best record in the NBA (28 wins, seven losses). On Saturday, the Celtics made another dominant performance, after rallying past the Indiana Pacers (118-101) and winning their second game in a row.
Jayson Tatum was unstoppable with 38 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, on 8/13 from beyond the arc. After the game, the NBA superstar said that getting praise for his performances is not what he is seeking. Instead, he has his sights set on claiming a title.
"I don't look for that praise anymore. I have accomplished a lot in this league. I am at that point where I want to get back to the Finals, help us win a championship," Jayson Tatum told media afterwards, via NBC Sports Boston.
"What I am doing, I may not win an MVP, just help us continue be the best team in the league. If people recognize it, they see it, I appreciate it, if they don't, that's ok."
Joe Mazzulla says fans take Jayson Tatum's All-Star performance for granted
Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla had high praise for what Jayson Tatum has been doing this season. The young coach said that fans expect from the superstar guard/forward to play at an elite level day in and day out.
"This is what happens when you have a guy like him is you take him for granted sometimes," Joe Mazzulla said. "I was telling him, when you get to the point where you are so good from a basketball standpoint, and you want to get better and you have such high character, they start to just see it as you are supposed to do that.
"His growth as a player in the last month has exponentially jumped. The patience he is playing with on drives, his potential assist average, his screening, his ability to know he needs his teammates to make them better. He had 38, 13 and six. If another player in the league does that, that’s all they talk about."
Jayson Tatum has appeared in 33 games so far with averages of 27.5 ppg, 8.7 rpg and 4.5 apg, on 36.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Boston leads Indiana 2-1 in the season series so far.
Tatum and the Celtics will close their two-game series with the Pacers with another road game vs Indiana on Monday. Another win will help solidify their place in the top of the East, as they are currently three-and-a-half games ahead of the second-placed Milwaukee Bucks (25-11), who have won six of their past 10 games.