“We don’t need you to be soft, we need you to be you” - Jayson Tatum on Coach K calling him out in film sessions
Mike Krzyzewski has coached some of basketball's top players in more than four decades with the Duke Blue Devils. That includes Boston Celtics star tatum?ref=carousel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Jayson Tatum, who played for Duke in the 2016-17 season.
Many stories throughout the years have shown the relationship and trust Coach K has built with players.
On "The Draymond Green Show," Tatum shared one of his favorite memories of playing for Krzyzewski. Tatum talked about how Coach K motivated the young wing to play at a higher level.
"'I didn't bring you here to be good,'" Tatum remembered Krzyzewski saying. "He said, 'I need you to be special.' And, like, anytime in the game, like the next day in film, if there was a shot I could've shot it, he would always pause in the film, 'You being soft. We don't need you to be soft. We need you to be you.'"
Looking back at Jayson Tatum's time at Duke with Coach K
Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum's growth in the NBA has been remarkable. Since being picked third in 2017, Tatum has seen his game develop, becoming one of the league's most lethal offensive weapons.
Tatum came to Duke after being named the 2016 Gatorade National Player of the Year in high school. Despite coming to the program as a likely one-and-done player, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski pushed him to get better.
Tatum talked about how Coach K motivated him to stop being "soft" and be more aggressive on the court. Tatum said that although he believed he was doing the right thing and being a good teammate, Krzyzewski wanted more from his talented wing.
.@jaytatum0 explains what it felt like for @kdtrey5 to identify him as Team USA's next go-to player https://t.co/d1s3jT8ZiE
In his one collegiate season, Tatum averaged 16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 45.2%. He made the Atlantic Coast Conference All-Freshman team.
The 6-foot-8 forward has become one of the NBA's top young stars. He was named to the All-Rookie team and has been an All-Star for each of the past three seasons. This season, he is averaging 27.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 4.3 apg. The Celtics (47-30) are third in the Eastern Conference.
Krzyewski, who is retiring, will coach Duke (32-6) against North Carolina (28-9) on Saturday in the national semifinals in the Final Four in New Orleans, Louisiana.