Jayson Tatum didn’t skip a beat after missing the Boston Celtics overtime loss to the Brooklyn Nets with an illness Tuesday night.
The 22-year-old returned to lead a thin lineup on the second leg of a back-to-back to a win against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. Despite being double — and at times — triple-teamed, Tatum rose to the occasion as he has so often in the last month.
And while Tatum’s potential continues to be discussed to exhaustion, the Celtics continue to refuse to put a ceiling on it.
“I made a deal with him that neither of us would decide how good he was until he was 32, so I’m just enjoying the process of seeing how good he can be,” assistant coach Jay Larranga said, vper MassLive’s Tom Westerholm.
“People try to get you to focus on what happened in the past or what might happen in the future, and that distracts from the most important thing, which is just putting in the work every day and just staying focused.”
Tatum’s focus has certainly been sharp, earning him a nod for Eastern Conference Player of the Month in February. He finished the month with 30.7 points per game, 7.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists, while he shot 49.4 percent from the field and 48.1 percent from beyond the arc.
“I don’t know that we put limits on him,” Brad Stevens said, per Westerholm. “Sometimes you do have to take a step back and say what he’s accomplished at this age is pretty remarkable. I don’t think he’s satisfied with that. The improvement’s been good. Every step of the way, he’s improved from what’s happened last. It’s a good sign. I’m encouraged by him.”
Celtics fans should be encouraged as well.
