One little digression from his job description occurred on Saturday night during Jayson Tatum’s warm-up.
He spent most of his time on the floor practicing the abilities he would soon need as the arena steadily filled up for a game between the Celtics and the Knicks. He tried his dribble, practiced post moves, and splashed in some jumpers.
However, he briefly engaged in a light basketball back-and-forth with a Celtics staff member on the floor of Madison Square Garden. This exchange lasted perhaps a minute.
When you’re winning and performing well, why not enjoy yourself a little?
With Tatum leading the way, the Celtics defeated the Knicks 116-102 to improve to an incredible 45-12 record on the season. However, Jaylen Brown scored 30 points to lead Boston.
Kristaps Porzingis, an ex-Knick, also finished with 22 points.
The fact that he states it and then supports it with his professionalism, work ethic, teamwork, and coachability makes me think it’s crucial for him to have that mindset, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla stated prior to Saturday’s game.
Tatum’s teammates clearly share his confidence and swagger, even though he’s had more impressive performances than his 19 points on Saturday, when the Celtics defeated the Knicks for the fourth time this season.
That appeared to be Tatum’s trusting his teammates on his incredibly deep team on Saturday as he played more of an unnoticed role.
“I thought that Jayson’s basketball performance tonight was beautiful,” Mazzulla remarked after the game. It won’t be placed in the most valuable category and will be ignored.
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