There seemingly only was one constant for the Boston Celtics over the course of their 2020-21 season: the strong play of Jayson Tatum.
It truly was a roller coaster of a campaign for the Celtics, who dealt with a slew of injuries and ailments from wire to wire. Tatum was not excluded from this trend, as he dealt with a midseason bout with COVID-19. Even after being cleared from the virus, it took some time for the two-time All-Star to regain his standard form.
But as Boston continued to fall apart, Tatum gave it his all as he put the shorthanded team on his shoulders. Speaking with the media following the Celtics’ season-ending loss Tuesday night, head coach Brad Stevens credited Tatum for sticking with it through adversity.
“I think he handled it as well as you could possibly handle it,” Stevens told reporters, as seen on NBC Sports Boston. “I mean the amount of attention that he’s getting throughout the whole season but certainly in the last couple games, it’s really hard to operate under. They’ve got a lot of smart players, you know, Kevin Durant is all over him with great length and ability to challenge shots and Jayson just continuously found ways to make plays. You know, I thought that he did a really good job. Obviously, we didn’t do enough as a team tonight to be successful. But I think he showed a lot of mental toughness this year when you consider what he went through with COVID, what he went through with coming back from COVID, and then the level he went to at the end of the year.”
The Celtics obviously are in good hands with Tatum as their franchise cornerstone. But one thing became abundantly clear this season: the star forward needs a better supporting cast in Boston.
