Celtics Coach, Ex Teammate Insists Jayson Tatum ‘Can Do More’

Jayson Tatum does a little bit of everything for the Boston Celtics.

It’s pretty much impossible to make first team All-NBA in back-to-back seasons without shouldering a ton of responsibility — which is exactly what Tatum does for the Celtics. He led Boston in points (30.1) and rebounds (8.8) per game in 2022-23, and averaged the second-most assists (4.6) and steals (1.1) per game.

He does it all. That much cannot be argued, but there’s one man who believes Tatum has another level to reach.

“He can do more,” Celtic assistant coach Amile Jefferson told Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. “I know that’s easy to say because he’s done so much, but he still has so much more to do. He’s only 25. He’s not even in his prime yet. He’s going to get so much better, which is crazy considering how good he is. But I’m excited to see him grow.”

The Celtics hired Jefferson last week, reuniting him with his former Duke teammate, Tatum.

“He’s not even in his prime yet. He’s going to get so much better, which is crazy considering how good he is.”

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Boston Celtics assistant coach Amile Jefferson on Jayson Tatum

Jefferson won’t work directly with Tatum. Instead, he’ll take on a player enhancement role that will see him spend the majority of his time helping develop the team’s younger players like JD Davison, Jordan Walsh and Justin Champagnie. That won’t cause the rookie coach to approach things differently with Tatum, however.

“I think nothing really changes, especially for me,” he continued. “I always tell him how I feel, whether good, bad or indifferent.”

Though many view Tatum as a mild-mannered superstar, Jefferson has seen and hopes to continue seeing a fiery side to the four-time All-Star.

“He was ultra-competitive and wanted to win anything,” Jefferson said. “I think that’s an early sign, but a really good sign of a player who you know is going to bring it every day. I always admire guys who hate losing more than they love winning.”