Danny Ainge Reveals How Jayson Tatum Improved Ahead Of 2018-19 Season

Jayson Tatum 2.0 should be more forceful than the player who shined in his rookie year.

Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge explained Thursday on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Toucher & Rich Show” the improvements the second-year forward made this offseason, saying Tatum already is demonstrating signs of physical and psychological growth in the early stages of training camp.

“He’s playing with more confidence,” Ainge said. “He’s always had confidence for a young kid. But now, he doesn’t look like a young kid anymore. He looks like a veteran player that really … ‘give me the ball’ every bit as much as Kyrie (Irving) or Gordon (Hayward) or Jaylen (Brown) or anybody; just as much as his team as anybody’s. You could see that in these first two days of practice.”

Social media users have noticed Tatum sporting a more muscular physique than he had last season. Ainge said Tatum’s hands are stronger, which should help him hold onto the ball when driving to the basket.

“He seems to have improved in that area much better,” Ainge said.

Yet the Celtics, aren’t encouraging Tatum to bulk up for the sake of doing so.

“We don’t want him to bulk up too much,” Ainge said. “Jayson has worked hard in the offseason and is definitely stronger; his hands are stronger.”

Tatum averaged 13.9 points, 1.6 assists and five rebounds over 80 regular-season games and put up better numbers in the playoffs during his stellar rookie campaign. He might not be as lean as he was, but the added strength and confidence should boost his “best player from the 2017 draft class” case and the Celtics’ prospects this season.