Playing for the Boston Celtics isn’t easy. Not only are the fans and media intense, but players are also held to a higher standard due to the franchise’s rich history. There’s a lot of pressure on players to perform at a high level and win championships.
It didn’t take long for Jayson Tatum to realize that. He’s been with the Celtics for nearly a decade now, but he quickly learned about the organization’s high standards and expectations early in his career.
“As you spend time in the league, you go to other arenas and you play in the playoffs, you realize it’s not like this everywhere else,” Tatum told the Morris twins on “The Morris Code” podcast this week. “You come to Boston, it’s only championship banners and retired numbers. No disrespect to anybody else, but they raise banners when you get into the Conference Finals. We expect to win championships.”
Tatum added that spending his entire career with Boston has pushed him to be a better player and get more out of his abilities.
Story continues below advertisement
“I think just being part of that culture, it raises your level of play,” Tatum added. “All the players that came before you won a championship, and you want to be in that conversation. I’ve been fortunate enough to do that. I’m in a great spot.”
After eight seasons, Tatum has already won a title and cemented himself as one of the greatest players in Celtics history. If he picks up where he left off when he returns from his Achilles injury, he might go down as one of the greatest players in NBA history.
Featured image via David Butler II/Imagn Images
