Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum says he could use missed milestones from last year to fuel his motivation for the upcoming season.
Despite a campaign that saw Tatum win both an NBA title and a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, he missed out on NBA Finals MVP and was benched for two games during Team USA’s Olympic campaign.
The Celtics will be looking to go back-to-back in the NBA and they will need Tatum at his best if they are to go all the way.
Speaking ahead of the new season, he said: “Motivation? I guess you could say that, if you want to simplify it.
“In real-time, [not playing in the Olympics] was tough.
“And Joe [Mazzulla], I talked to Joe a lot. Joe was probably the happiest person in the world that I didn’t win Finals MVP and I didn’t play in two games of the Olympics.
New season, same goal pic.twitter.com/fVz40V27z9
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) September 25, 2024
“That was odd, but if you know Joe, it makes sense.”
Despite the Celtics’ triumph – winning their record-breaking 18th NBA title in June, and Tatum’s second gold medal later in the summer – the spotlight was on Jaylen Brown taking the MVP award and Tatum missing games against Serbia in the Olympics.
The 26-year-old went on to state that he didn’t require additional motivation for the new season, though he did acknowledge that the summer had its challenges.
He added: “Did I need any extra motivation coming into the season? No, I’m not gonna give anybody in particular credit that they’re motivating me to come into the season.
“It was a unique circumstance, something I haven’t experienced before in my playing career.
“But I’m a believer that everything happens for a reason. I was coming off a championship, highest of highs, cover of 2K, a new contract, and that happened.
Swag on 💯 pic.twitter.com/FTer3tNSTW
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) September 25, 2024
“Whatever the reason is, I haven’t figured out yet. But I am a believer that everything happens for a reason.
“We won a gold medal, I won my second one, I was around some of the best players to play the game on a daily basis, build some friendships and was able to bring my family out there and enjoy the Olympics as a whole. So that was a plus for me, for sure.”
New year, same goal
Now, Tatum’s attention turns to the upcoming season, as the Celtics aim for their 19th championship.
The star man, who previously made it to the NBA Finals in 2022 and the Eastern Conference finals in four of the last six seasons, said the feeling of entering this season as a champion is different.
He said: “Yeah, it does feel different.
“You haven’t seen the best version of Jayson Tatum.”
The league is back on notice 😤 pic.twitter.com/KTLgIGNTL8
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) September 24, 2024
“Not from a place of being complacent, not that I’m relaxed or comfortable.
“It’s all about what you’re trying to achieve, and we’re trying to achieve greatness. I believed we were going to win at some point.
“We were at a sustained level of greatness for six years… we were so close, we were taking the proper steps, and we finally knocked down the door.
“And it was never just about trying to just win one.”
