Jayson Tatum, who has likely been sidelined for this entire season, recently appeared on the Morris twins’ podcast ‘The Morris Code,’ and spoke his mind about Jaylen Brown, his Celtics teammate. Specifically, he finally addressed the 2023 NBA Finals MVP decision, where Jaylen Brown was picked over him.
“Even with him winning Finals MVP, I was just so excited in that moment that we won a championship. I can be 100% honest, there was no animosity, and I wasn’t upset. To be honest, I was just like, ‘Oh shit, it’s not my time.’ I know I’m going to get a finals MVP, that just means I gotta win another championship,” said Tatum.
“Larry Bird didn’t win Finals MVP every single time, Isiah Thomas didn’t win Finals MVP every single time. I know I’m going to get one, it’s just a matter of time,” Tatum confidently added.
The Celtics faced the Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals, where Brown averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.0 assists, while shooting 44.0% from the floor. Meanwhile, Tatum averaged 22.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.2 assists while shooting 38.8% from the field.
Therefore, a significant portion of the NBA world believed that Tatum was robbed of an award he deserved. But Tatum has now clarified that instead of letting it fester into any form of animosity with Brown, he is using it as fuel for motivation to win another NBA championship upon his return.
In the same podcast, Tatum also addressed the possibility of playing with his son in the NBA someday. He welcomed the idea of getting a chance to play with his son in the league someday, but he clarified that there would be no pressure from his end on his son.
“He turned 8, I’m 27, it’s like, damn, can I play 10 more years? I can easily do that. So if it works out, it would be cool,” said Tatum.
The Celtics’ superstar is likely sidelined for the rest of the season after injuring his Achilles tendon at the end of last season’s playoffs. The Celtics franchise is reportedly allowing Tatum to take his time with his recovery, and there is no pressure on him to accelerate his return. Without his presence, the Celtics are currently 12-9 for the season, sitting in sixth place in the Eastern Conference presently.
While Tatum’s presence would immediately propel this team to potential championship contenders, there is no reason for the Celtics to rush his return. He is currently contributing to the team as an evergreen presence in the locker room and on the bench during games, while he takes his own time to work out and rehabilitate back onto the roster.
If the Celtics want to see Tatum win another championship and potentially play with his son one day, like LeBron James, then they will have to be patient with his return from one of the most painful injuries in basketball.
