Jayson Tatum: 'I learned that I'm 24 and one of the best players in the world'

“(I learned) that I’m 24 and one of the best players in the world and that I will compete against whoever and take on that challenge,” Tatum said. “In that same breath, I feel like there’s so much I could be better at, and I think that’s the exciting part. That I’m at where I’m at, where there’s so much more I can be, so much more I can learn and so many more experiences to go through.”
Source: Jared Weiss @ The Athletic

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StatMuse @statmuse
Most playoff points before turning 25:
2,155 — Kobe Bryant
1,761 — LeBron James
1,693 — Jayson Tatum pic.twitter.com/cIHZW1dzjy – 4:47 PM StatMuse @statmuse
Who is winning this 25 and under series?
West:
G — Ja Morant
G — Devin Booker
F — Luka Doncic
F — Brandon Ingram
C — Deandre Ayton
East:
G — Trae Young
G — LaMelo Ball
F — Jaylen Brown
F — Jayson Tatum
C — Bam Adebayo pic.twitter.com/tAXJKuSQPy – 3:41 PM Kurt Helin @basketballtalk
Celtics’ Jayson Tatum says sore right shoulder “feels a lot better” nba.nbcsports.com/2022/08/07/cel… – 11:29 AM Sirius XM NBA @SiriusXMNBA
“You’re telling me Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown is not a centerpiece for this deal?”
@Sam Mitchell tells @Brian Geltzeiler the Brooklyn Nets need to figure out what they want for Kevin Durant. pic.twitter.com/aAMYQJQcbf – 1:38 PM Kurt Helin @basketballtalk
Jayson Tatum on trade rumors: Ignore them, “control what you can control” nba.nbcsports.com/2022/08/06/jay… – 10:01 AM

More on this storyline

Boston gave Tatum the supermax rookie extension. He’s their designated star, even if Brown was the better player in June and has been instrumental to the team’s success. Tatum’s input always matters because they’re building around him. Brown and Smart have undoubtedly been a part of that foundation, but they’ve also been in trade rumors as long as they can remember. Not Tatum. He’s deeply entrenched, though he says he’s staying out of it anyway. “The cool part about his job is Brad don’t tell me how to do my job anymore. You not the coach,” Tatum said with a sly grin. “He lets me do my thing. I let him do his thing. In all honesty, that’s his decision and that’s his job.” -via The Athletic / August 8, 2022 After a conference-finals run in the bubble, Boston seemed primed to take the next step. It stumbled instead. Then last year, it came together in such a whirlwind that Tatum is now the top scorer on the betting favorite for the 2023 title, a team that just brought in two established veterans to shore up offensive pitfalls from the playoff run. It’s why, in spite of a tough finals defeat, Tatum’s confident the Celtics are ready to come back and pull it off this time. “I mean, what kind of teammate would I be if I said no?” he said. “We got this close, and we added two really good players. I think it makes us better.” -via The Athletic / August 8, 2022 Tatum expects he’s going to be ready to put his team back in position to win a ring. Whether that’s starting off the season connected offensively or pacing himself to keep his legs fresh from October to June, he’s taken in another lesson on greatness. But he recognizes that doesn’t guarantee anything. “It’s not a ‘for sure’ thing, you know. You have to put in the work. You have to take the right steps,” Tatum said. “But I’m positive that we got the right group that will buy in, and we can’t look past anything and just try to coast our way to the finals. We gotta start from training camp. We gotta start from Day 1.” -via The Athletic / August 8, 2022