Jayson Tatum is used to the spotlight. As the face of the Boston Celtics, he’s spent the last few years carrying the weight of championship expectations, nightly scrutiny, and a city that lives and breathes basketball.
But after a rough start to the 2025 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks, Tatum opened up about the burden of being “that guy” and how he’s learned to live with it.
“You understand what comes with being that guy, right? I live a great life, I ain’t gonna lie. It’s a lot of, I make a lot of money, I take care of my family, I’ve been able to experience a lot of things. But you also have to accept what comes with that, right?”
“I get a lot of praise, I get a lot of credit, I get a lot of accolades. But, I’m not perfect, and there’s times where I’ve needed to play better, I’ve needed to do more. And that’s what comes with being that guy. So just understanding that and it’s not that people don’t just criticize me.”
“There’s a lot of people that came before me that they criticize, and there’s gonna be people that come after me that they criticize. And, you know for me, it’s just, it’s a sense of joy that I play with, right?”
“Coming into a game with an angry face and mad at the world, that’s not who I am. That’s not when I play my best. So I always say, you gotta be the same person when things are going great and when things aren’t going great. You can’t switch up. That’s the character of a good man.”
Tatum’s self-awareness was on full display following Boston’s bounce-back 115-93 win in Game 3. The All-NBA forward had been heavily criticized after two disappointing games to start the series, where he averaged 18.0 points, 15.0 rebounds, and 5.5 assists but shot just 28.5% from the field and 25.0% from three.
His final possession in Game 2 ended with Mikal Bridges blocking his shot, a sequence that sealed a second straight collapse by the Celtics and stunned the TD Garden crowd.
Tatum’s candor comes at a pivotal moment in the series. Down 2-0, the Celtics entered a must-win Game 3 at Madison Square Garden under immense pressure, and they delivered.
Tatum wasn’t spectacular, but he was composed and steady: 22 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. He helped lead Boston to their most complete game of the series, one where they made 20-of-40 three-point attempts and shut down New York’s perimeter attack.
The Celtics, who had previously missed 75 threes across Games 1 and 2, an all-time playoff record, rediscovered their offensive identity on Saturday. Payton Pritchard stole the show with 23 points off the bench, giving Boston a needed boost while easing the scoring burden on Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
But the moment still belonged to Tatum. For a player constantly measured against the legacies of Celtics greats, the pressure never fades. Game 3 wasn’t a superstar eruption, but it was leadership, quiet, confident, and resilient.
Tatum knows the criticism won’t disappear. And he’s accepted that. For now, the Celtics live to fight another day, and so does their star, imperfections and all.
