Joe Mazulla Makes Bold Claim That People Take Advantage of Jayston Tatum

The Celtics head coach made a bold claim about his star player.

Feb 20, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) passes the ball back to center Kristaps Porzingis (8) in front of Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) and guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Boston Celtics are hoping to keep the good play going that they had started to play before the All-Star break. As of right now, they have won eight of their last nine games.

The starting lineup in Boston is one of the big reasons why they are the second-best team in the Eastern Conference. They still are holding out hope that they can catch Cleveland for that top spot.

Jayson Tatum is the best player on the team. He has been the leader for them ever since he arrived after being taken third overall in the 2017 NBA Draft.

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Tatum has added something to his game every year he's been in the league. He has transformed himself into a top-five player in the league.

His coach, Joe Mazzulla, thinks that people take him for granted. He thinks that Tatum is getting taken advantage of by the media in that regard.

Joe Mazzulla on if he’s seen anything different in Tatum’s approach to the game:

“The honest answer is that he’s been doing this for a long time. People just take advantage of him, take it for granted. It's an easy way to use him as a headline when it's going well. He’s been… pic.twitter.com/XjLxqg1bdo

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) February 21, 2025

“The honest answer is that he’s been doing this for a long time. People just take advantage of him, take it for granted. It's an easy way to use him as a headline when it's going well. He’s been doing this for years, but he obviously has continued to get better.”

Mazzulla knows what Tatum does in order to prepare each season. He is trying to become not just the best player on the team, but the best Celtics player ever.

In order to do that, Tatum has to change his approach to the game every year to add more to his game. This year, he clearly spent more time focusing on this 3-point shot in the offseason.

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Tatum is hoping to lead his team to another NBA championship this season. The Celtics are seeking to become the first team to repeat as champions in about a decade.

As long as the Celtics can stay healthy, they should be a formidable opponent in the playoffs. Tatum is usually able to stay pretty healthy, so they don't need to worry about him.

Tatum is averaging 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game this season.

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