Jayson Tatum has had to answer the same questions about leadership ad nauseam going back to before the start of this NBA season.
A lot of expectations have been placed on him and fellow young All-Star Jaylen Brown as the “two pillars” of the organization, but he self-admittedly is not the most vocal presence in the Boston Celtics locker room.
He’s been the unfair target of criticism all season from media, even recently firing back about reports quoting anonymous opposing coaches claiming he’s a selfish teammate.
Recently appearing on ESPN’s “Up Close” with Sage Steele, Tatum doubled down in self-defense when asked how that criticism made him feel.
“That they don’t know me and they don’t know our environment or they didn’t speak to any of the guys that I played with,” Tatum said in the feature.
“It’s always been baffling to me that they’re not in it, but they get to critique what you’re doing and they don’t know anything about it. And it’s like, yeah, I’m not the most vocal but I talk to my teammates all the time. And the guys that I play with, the guys and the organization, they know you got to be yourself. As much as I love him, I’m not — my personality is not like Kevin Garnett’s and that doesn’t work for me. And I got to be true to myself and do things in my own way for it to be genuine.”
That being said, he understands part of his evolution as a player comes with those intangibles about keeping players connected.
Tatum’s whole career he’s experienced a good share of surprising roster turnaround, but the coaching staff and front office was long established. For the first time, with coach Brad Stevens moving up to president of basketball operations, the 23-year-old is feeling the impact of an entire organization being built around himself.
“It was a shock to me. I had no idea the coaching changes were gonna be what it was, especially, you know, the day after the season ended for us,” Tatum told Steele.
“It’s still weird seeing Brad around and he’s not the coach anymore. And I think that’s what I’m starting to realize, that change happens a lot in the NBA. It is a business and I have even more responsibility each year. More so from being like, the guy. I think being more vocal, being more of a leader is not just all about on the court stuff. And I’m figuring that out and it’s something that I’m working at as I get more mature as I get older, more comfortable in what I’m doing just bringing others together.”
