It's a matter of when, not if for Ortiz when it comes to Tatum
David Ortiz certainly knows what it takes to win a championship in Boston.
And the Boston Red Sox legend believes Jayson Tatum has the right makeup to go where Ortiz ventured three times in his career.
Tatum has been on the precipice of a title many times already during his career with the Celtics, especially in 2022 when Boston made it to the NBA Finals. Tatum also has lost in the Eastern Conference finals three other times.
At 25 years old, the four-time All-Star is entering his true prime and is set to be in the MVP conversation year in and year out. Tatum’s individual talent is unquestionable, but will he be able to cement his legacy and lift the Celtics to a title?
Ortiz doesn’t need any convincing that Tatum will break through at some point and end up like him in the future with multiple rings on his hand.
“It will come. I’m telling you, it’s going to happen,” Ortiz said Friday, per NBC Sports Boston. “It’s not going to just happen one time. It’s going to many times because he does nothing but get better. He has established himself as one of the elite players in the league. He knows what it takes to win, but he also knows where he’s playing at. He knows that the fans are true fans up in Boston, and every time he takes that court, he shows it.”
Tatum, who is averaging 27.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game during the early stages of the 2023-24 campaign, might have his best shot to win an NBA title this season. With the additions of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics entered Friday tied for the best record in the NBA and are once again seen as the favorite to win a championship.
If the Celtics can put everything together once and for all in the postseason, Ortiz might not have to wait much longer for Tatum to get his hands on the most coveted hardware the NBA has to offer.
But for Tatum to enter Ortiz’s stratosphere, he’ll have to get to the mountaintop more than once in his career.