Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum had a 2021-22 season to remember, firmly supplanting his name among the NBA’s best. Just ask him.
Speaking from his annual St. Louis youth camp, Tatum told The Athletic’s Jared Weiss that he learned a lot about himself throughout the course of last season.
“(I learned) that I’m 24 and one of the best players in the world and that I will compete against whoever and take on that challenge,” Tatum said, as transcribed by Weiss. “In that same breath, I feel like there’s so much I could be better at, and I think that’s the exciting part. That I’m at where I’m at, where there’s so much more I can be, so much more I can learn and so many more experiences to go through.”
Tatum has every right to feel that way, as he was voted First-Team All-NBA in 2022, earning MVP votes, All-Defensive Team votes, and Eastern Conference Finals MVP. The 24-year-old averaged 26.9 points, eight rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. So if it sounds like he was being cocky, he has every right to be.
The Celtics added reinforcements this offseason in the form of guard Malcolm Brogdon and forward Danilo Gallinari to take some of the pressure off Tatum and co-star Jaylen Brown. If Tatum can take another step and the added pieces deliver what is expected of them, we could soon be talking about him as the very best player the NBA has to offer.
