"You forget" - Joe Mazzulla subtly claps back at ex-Bucks guard over Jayson Tatum 'soft' remark
Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla addressed the ongoing beef between Jayson Tatum and Brandon Jennings on Friday. The former guard for the Milwaukee Bucks recently caused a stir on social media with a remark he made regarding Tatum. On "Gil's Arena," Jennings referred to the Celtics star as "soft."
Mazzulla backed his star player and offered Jennings a sharp reminder about his own playing career.
"Sometimes the older you get, the better you were as a player. You forget, like – and that’s everybody, people say that. So if we all just kind of remembered what we were then, we probably wouldn’t have so many opinions of other people," Mazzulla said.
Jennings' comments were posted last Saturday.
"Is he the softest Boston Celtics superstar ever?" Jennings asked.
In support of his claim that Tatum is not a soft player, former NBA player Gilbert Arenas cited his 2024-25 season stats. The Celtics star has averaged 28.1 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 34 games. Additionally, the 2024 champion is shooting 46.3%.
Jennings walked back his comments about Tatum and said between the former Duke star and his running mate, Jaylen Brown, he would be more afraid of the latter.
In response to the dig made by the former Bucks player, Tatum posted videos and photos of himself on Instagram with a caption taking shots at Jennings.
"“SoFtesT SuPeRstar in CeLtiC HiStoRy😅," Tatum posted on IG.
Jennings played it cool and left a comment on Tatum's post.
"This the energy I want!!!!" the former player commented.
Also read: Fans hilariously cite Joe Mazzulla's revelation after $35,000 fine for dust-up with refs - "All he said was happy holidays"
Celtics big man defends Joe Mazzulla from critics
Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis stood up for his head coach, Joe Mazzulla, who’s been criticized this season. Ahead of their game on Tuesday against the Denver Nuggets, Porzingis addressed the chatter around his team, especially around Mazzulla.
"You're always on the hot seat — even after winning a championship, there's people like, 'Fire Mazzulla.' Like, he just won a championship," Porzingis said.
Even after leading Boston to a championship win, Mazzulla has often been criticized. Throughout the 2024-25 NBA season, the Celtics have lost to some of the league's top teams, including the OKC Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Celtics have also suffered losses against teams like the Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks.
Also read: Celtics HC Joe Mazzulla checks critics calling out NBA's scoring, cites NFL and others - "Does anyone wanna see less touchdowns?"