Celtics’ Jayson Tatum Explains What Made Boston ‘Buy In More’

The Celtics came up achingly short of their ultimate goal the last two seasons, but those experiences could prove to benefit Boston this campaign.

The C’s exceeded expectations in the 2021-22 season when they came within two wins of an NBA championship. An equally — if not more — talented Boston team wasn’t able to bounce back from that shortcoming, as it lost Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals last season.

The Celtics now are fully loaded with high-end talent, but if Wednesday night’s win over the New York Knicks was any indication, no one on Boston’s roster will let ego or status get in the way of making the team better. Jayson Tatum highlighted that across-the-board buy-in after his team’s season opener.

“I think us getting close the last two years and not getting over the hump allows guys to buy in more with the mindset of just doing whatever each individual needs to do to make the team better,” Tatum told reporters, per a video shared by NBC Sports Boston. “Not going to overreact. It’s one game, we got 81 left. But this was a good start.”

The Celtics apparently didn’t need the season to unfold to start building the buy-in. As Jrue Holiday revealed after his Boston debut, the Green’s top six players had an open conversation about their roles before the start of the campaign.

This season all but surely won’t be a total breeze for the C’s and obstacles likely are on the horizon. But as long as Tatum and company can maintain their unity, Boston should be able to overcome any struggles and reach its potential.