Celtics’ star Jayson Tatum asserts on NBA Today that he is the best player in the NBA right now

Celtics’ star Jayson Tatum asserts on NBA Today that he is the best player in the NBA right now

Win and I want to get over that hump I want to get back to the finals been so close these last 2 years that want to do whatever it takes good to the you know we’re the best team in the league so winning takes care of everything the Boston Celtic right now

Are on top 43 and 12 owning the best record in the league which by the way is the best record they’ve had at the All-Star break since 200829 now their new additions of Drew holiday and Chris STS porzingis have been major boosts this season but one thing has remained constant since 2017

Jason Tatum and his rise to superstardom he spoke about it with our own Malika Andrews at All-Star Weekend take a listen you guys have been one of if not the best team in the NBA record-wise all season long but to you how much stock do you put in this now versus knowing that

This is a team that is really measured in the playoffs the regular season is there for a reason right you have to build the right habits you have to U build chemistry and things like that and I just love the way that we’re playing right obviously I love our record 43 44

And 12 or something but the way that we’re playing the way guys are coexisting together there’s a difference from last year and we had a really good team last last year yeah uh but I love where we’re at this year compared to last season do you think that this is

The best team that you’ve played on is it better than the 2022 finals team yeah it is uh just because I think I’m better than I was two years ago JB is better you know KP makes the world all the difference in the world obviously Drew holiday and the way to

Derek Weissman playing you know this year compared to two years ago you and Jaylen Brown you worked out together right over the summer a little bit with Drew that was a first for you guys right in the summertime yeah so why did you feel like that you this was the time

That you guys needed to come together put in that extra work as a Duo not just individually so your games complimented each other when you came back yeah I think over the last few years we’ve taking strides of like coexisting together getting the best out of each

Other while being the best version of ourselves and being the you know the leaders that our team need us to be and I think uh it’s prob us just getting older IMM maturing right still relatively young guys but understanding that you know this is like this is our

Time and we need to take full advantage of it you know it’s going to pay off in the long long run who do you think is the best player in the NBA right now uh myself is that have you always had that kind of confidence because I don’t I

Asked you that question a year ago and you said it was Giannis so what’s given you that confidence I got a lot of respect for a lot of guys in the league yamish for sure um yic obviously just one and the guys that won MVPs in the list goes on

The league is in a great place I truly do believe every night I step on the floor I’m the best player is that a mentality that you’ve worked to hone because I think back to the 2022 finals that wonderful story you worked on with Ramona shelburn about how difficult it

Was in the days afterwards wanting to just be in your room be sort of shut away and being pretty disappointed in yourself you put all of that on yourself did you have to work to sort of forgive yourself in order to move forward uh I’m big beli in everything happens for a Reason That quiet confidence it feels louder yeah uh and maybe I’m kind of grown into my own in a sense right uh still like I said still young 25 but it’s my seventh year in the league and I’m very confident because I know how hard I work I know how much I put into

This game I know how badly I want to be one of the best a B I want to win like why wouldn’t I be confident cuz I know how hard I work the beauty of only being 25 is you get to write your entire story

In front of you and when you think about what you want to be known as what you want to be remembered as what you want to have accomplished what are those things in your career I want to be a winner I want to win um and it’s funny

That you say that cuz I I’ve felt that that you know why hasn’t he won you know his window has closed and it’s it’s tough when you have success early right right cuz I’ve been to the finals once I’ve been in the confence finals four

Times so it just seems like you know he should have done this done that um and I was just doing those things at a really young age yeah um I’ve had some really good teams and I’ve been a part of some really special runs but I truly do

Believe my time is coming and it’s going to be well worth it you heard it Jason Tatum he said it he’s the best player in the world on the best team right now and he might have a point uh a point forward because he’s running that position right more and

More you see what I did right there Austin okay let’s break it down and I’m glad to have a teammate today this season Jason Tatum has continued his growth as a playmaker putting up a career high and assist and he’s been taking care of the ball too his assist

To turnover rate is also a career best so Austin what do you like in JT’s game this year it’s always fun to see the Arc of a scorer become a true leader and player it’s one thing to be able to score and get Buckets but now we’re

Seeing him make plays for his teammates and that’s why we’re seeing so much success look across the court Jaylen Brown he sees attention he gets nothing special Quick Pass to Jaylen get him going easy three here we come pick and roll porus has been great for Boston that’s a lethal combination Leal

Combination you got pick and pop that small little window he’s making that pass now he can thread the needle pocket pass to the dunk porzingis gets the dunk and then this this is my favorite play look at love fake double team split the defense this is what he does right use

That scoring ability to create for your teammates Derek white we know one of the best role players in the league wide open three you cannot let that man do that cash cash money and you know what’s cool uh it’s been the ball movement and him running the point point forward look

At these numbers I mean the Celtics have used their ball movement to help give them a massive Point differential it’s been truly impressive they are the sixth team over the last 10 seasons to win uh games by 10 or more points and that company actually includes the Warriors

Dynasty so Ramona after the finals loss in 2022 Jason Tatum said he was in a dark place that’s what you reported and you know but now we fast forward to now and he’s saying he’s the best player in the world why did he have this growth I

Mean Jason in after the finals when they lost that year he He just flat out said I ran out of gas like I I just got tired I did too much during the regular season I played so many minutes during the playoffs and he ran out of gas and he

Goes I will never let that happen again I remember he was telling me all that summer he goes you know I usually like to come out to LA and play and he trains with this trainer Drew handland out here and they usually go golf every once in a

While uh yeah it’s La in the summer time he golfed like once all summer he was in the gym he was getting ready he’s averaging 35 and a half minutes this year but I think they’re being strategic with how they use him and in the way that that they’re taxing him because

They need him to be fresh in the playoffs and the other thing the Celtics did which we talked about at the time and I don’t know if everybody believed it at the time with this is going to be a great play for them was to get

Porzingis I mean when IAL when I talked to porzingis and I talked to Tatum for this story I did about a month ago Tatum basically said to me when Miami was switching on us when teams would go Zone against us we did not have an answer

That was what would happen to them in the playoffs and porzingis is the ultimate answer because if you put a small guy on him earlier in his career people put Smalls on him they put like Marcus Smart would guard him or Jay Crowder would guard him and try to rough

Him up he’s beefed up he’s worked on his post game he doesn’t dribble as much and he’s he’s much more efficient one of the most efficient post players in the league and then if you put a small guy on him he just shoots over the top of

Him and so I think he gives them that look that answer that they haven’t had in the playoffs the last couple years and Tatum Ian he’s compared him to Pal Gasol he’s compared him to those kinds of that that ilk and he could be that if he’s healthy yeah let’s welcome Zack low

Back to the show because if you’re saying pal gazal you’re talking about championships and Zach Boston has been the best team all season long and their record truly shows it now in order for them to Hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy in June what do you want to see from them in the second

Half they were my pick to win the title before the season I think they’re the best team in the NBA look they take more threes than anyone in the league and they have the number one offense in the league they passed Indiana right before the All-Star break so what they are

Doing is clearly working but and we have seen this before there are going to be games that are ugly and nasty and grimy and when the threes are not falling and when those games happen is your fallback plan get stuck in the mud and go one-on-one and take a bunch of step back

Threes or is it touch the paint get to the rim get to the free throw line get some offensive rebounds when Boston stay connected to that goal when they get into the paint they’re pretty much unbeatable when they devolve into just one-on-one stepback threes that’s when

They can be beaten late in gamees so I’m watching their paint touches on those nights when all those beautiful threes aren’t going in because you know they going to be those nights and you’re going to have to win some of those games along the way well the Boston Celtics

Their path to the finals really starts this weekend and here’s our next NBA Saturday guys for Fore now out it fore spee speee speech fore spee forign speech foreign speech speech speech fore foree For foreign fore For spee for speech foreign foreign spee spee forign Speech For nowe for spee speech speech man been spe speech foreign speee for spee foreign speech speee fore spee spee spee spee speech foreign speee speee Moon yeah

Celtics’ star Jayson Tatum asserts on NBA Today that he is the best player in the NBA right now