Team USA men’s basketball won yet another gold medal this season, edging out France in the final game of the Olympics. Kevin Durant was a key factor in them being able to make that run, and he dropped 29 points in the final game against France to ensure victory from his team.
New Boston Celtics head coach has recently stated his belief that Jayson Tatum has benefited from practicing and watching Kevin Durant work. It makes sense that a young player working out with Kevin Durant would be able to learn from the process that Durant goes through to perfect his craft.
“Watching some of the players that haven’t been around him like that, they were in awe of his work ethic.”
Celtics Head Coach Ime Udoka on how Kevin Durant influenced Jayson Tatum and the other younger players during the Olympics
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Jayson watching some of Kevin’s work, it’s a benefit for him. Kevin goes extremely hard everyday in practice. He has his routine after practice. I think watching some of the players that haven’t been around him like that, they were in awe of his work ethic after practice.
He makes it through practice and gets to his one on one routine. He goes more than game speed. I saw the young guys watching that, and I think it’s invaluable for them to be around a guy, see the level he plays at and see his work ethic behind that. It’s not a coincidence.
There’s no question that Kevin Durant has worked extraordinarily hard to get to the level that he’s at. Becoming an MVP and a two-time champion doesn’t come from pure talent.
It’s interesting to hear Udoka’s comments about Tatum benefitting from watching Durant, as Kevin Durant himself views Jayson Tatum quite highly. Durant has stated that Tatum is one of his hardest matchups in the past, as well as claiming “Jayson Tatum will be the next one” to set the US Olympics scoring record.
If Jayson Tatum did learn a few things from Kevin Durant during the Olympics then that can only mean good things for the Celtics in the future. While Jayson Tatum isn’t as accomplished as Kevin Durant quite yet, he still has a lot of potential, and perhaps we’ll see Tatum become an all-time great later on in his career.
