LeBron James hails Jayson Tatum's playoff experience, Celtics front office amid 54-14 regular season
LeBron James recently sat down with JJ Redick for what was the first episode of their new podcast together. Titled Mind the Game, Redick explained how the podcast will deal with a range of other sports and what it takes to make it as an elite-level athlete. It will also be a hub of NBA discussions surrounding LeBron and his perspectives.
James talked about some of the best players of the current generation and named Jayson Tatum as the youngster who has impressed him the most.
Citing his young age (26), LeBron talked about how the Boston Celtics’ main man has already been to four Conference Finals and one Championship final. James referenced the fact that doing so was special at the age of 25, as he himself won his first Conference Final at 28. This was akin to Michael Jordan, while Nikola Jokic won his first at the age of 27.
James said:
“He is 25, I didn’t win my first one until I was 28, I think Joker won his first one at 27. I think MJ was 28 as well. So like, I think we have, in a way a lot of expectations in JT. He has experienced a lot of winning in his career so far."
James also claimed that Tatum is well-placed to add to the collection, with the Celtics looking set to launch a title challenge this year as well. That was also down to the moves for Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, as per James, who said:
“Personnel helps. Adding Porzingis and getting Jrue for a bag of Lay’s potato chips, that helps as well. But, JT, is definitely, he is the number 1 guy for sure.”
James appeared to be referencing the much-talked-about ‘Lakers-tax’, hinting at the longstanding notion that teams tend to raise their asks whenever the yellow and purple are in the market for reinforcements.
On the other hand, the Celtics acquired Holiday in exchange for Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams III, a 2024 first-round pick from the Golden State Warriors, and an unprotected 2029 first-round pick. That move looks to have helped their dominant showing in the regular season thus far.
LeBron James backing Jayson Tatum to win the NBA title with the Boston Celtics in the future
LeBron believes that Tatum’s experience will only contribute to him ‘getting over the hump’ and winning the title in the future:
"And obviously, everybody wanna see him get over the hump, but four conference finals and a Championship final before the age of 26 is elite. Like you just said, he has continued to grow and they are in a position where they can do another title run.”
The Celtics are well-placed to live up to the expectations this season, with James’ Lakers currently seeming unlikely to act as one of their competitors.