Being crowned NBA champion while playing a major role in the process doesn’t guarantee you a spot in a team of stars. Such was the fate of Boston Celtics star guard, Jayson Tatum who suffered the fate of being benched while on national duty for team USA, a move that didn’t go well with the Celtics faithful.
Aware of this fact, Steve Kerr is prepared for a hostile reception when his Golden State Warriors visit the TD Garden to face the Boston Celtics on November 6. He made this presumption known when he granted an interview to NBA.com recently.
I think they’re going to be all over me. That’s fine.
Steve Kerr said to NBA.com
Steve Kerr praised Jayson Tatum for how he handled the Olympics, and also acknowledged Boston fans are going to be “all over him” in November pic.twitter.com/woPjUsoH8M
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) September 13, 2024
The Boston Celtics were defeated by the Golden State Warriors during the 2022 NBA Finals, which left a sour taste on the C’s fans who were then denied title number number 18. Now, it has obviously taken another turn as the mastermind behind the defeat in the fans’ perspective had a vendetta against their very own Jayson Tatum.
JT has developed into a leader of the Celtics putting up strong performances. Even though he lost the Eastern Conference MVP and NBA Finals MVP to teammate, Jaylen Brown, he is highly regarded in the city of Boston. Last season saw him average 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists for the champions only to average 17.7 minutes for the national team.
Jayson Tatum picks himself for next season’s MVP award
Despite facing a tough time with the national team at the just concluded summer Olympics, Jayson Tatum has decided to not let the adversity stop him from achieving greater heights, individually. Making a guest appearance on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, the young star picked himself when asked who would win the next NBA MVP.
Can I say myself?
Jayson Tatum told Jimmy Fallon
His performance in recent seasons has shown that he has what it takes to challenge the pre-existing favorites for the top award. The favorite for the award remains the current holder, Nikola Jokic and then there’s Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic also in the mix.
The new season will be an interesting one, as on one hand JT would be hoping to help the C’s in their coach’s word attack the title and at the same time prove Kerr was wrong to bench him at the Olympics. In his seven seasons with the Celtics, he has averaged 23.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 513 regular-season games.
