Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
As Celtics Head to Utah, Jayson Tatum Opens Up About Relationship with Danny Ainge: 'I'm Very Thankful for Him'
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Friday night in Portland, the Celtics earned a 126-112 victory against the Trail Blazers, improving to 3-1 on their six-game road trip.
Now, they must quickly turn the page to a matchup against the Jazz on Saturday.
While they're headed to Utah on business, as they fight to reclaim the top seed in the East, trailing the Bucks by only 1.5 games and leading the third-seeded Sixers by one, their trip represents an opportunity to reconnect with familiar faces.
Last season, the Jazz hired Danny Ainge, who deserves to have his number 44 retired in Boston, hanging over the TD Garden parquet, honoring his impact on the Celtics, especially as president of basketball operations.
Over the summer, Ainge, the Jazz's CEO of Basketball Operations and Alternate Governor, hired former Celtics' lead assistant Will Hardy to replace Quin Snyder as Utah's head coach.
Ainge also wanted to bring Joe Mazzulla to Salt Lake City, but Wyc Grousbeck put the kibosh on that.
And while trading Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert in exchange for a treasure chest of draft picks, an approach fans in Boston are quite familiar with, was expected to result in the Jazz not fielding a competitive team this season, they've proven competitive for much of the campaign and remain in the mix for a spot in the play-in tournament.
Led by All-Star Lauri Markkanen, Utah, who's played two fewer games than the tenth-seeded Lakers, has a .478 winning percentage to Los Angeles' .479. The Jazz are half a game behind the Thunder, who are ninth in the West, and they're one back of the Timberwolves, who occupy the eighth slot in the Western Conference standings.
While the lion's share of the credit belongs to the players, it's safe to say Ainge and Hardy are off to a promising start together in Utah.
As the Celtics get ready to see their former lead assistant for the first time since his departure, Jayson Tatum expressed the following about their relationship.
"I saw Will at All-Star; it was really good to see him. You know, that's my guy. It was only for a year but known him since (Team) USA. Somebody (that) I'm extremely happy for; he's done a hell of a job. Somebody I still talk to here and there. Keep in touch with. We've got a great relationship."
As for Tatum's bond with Ainge, the latter of whom engineered one of the gutsiest and most impressive moves in recent memory, trading the number one pick in the 2017 draft, when Markelle Fultz was the consensus top player in the class, to select Tatum third overall and pick up a future first-round pick for doing so.
Tatum, now a four-time All-Star, who earned a spot on the All-NBA First Team last season and is one of the top players in the Association, shared the following about his relationship with Ainge.
"See Danny, hopefully. We'll always have a great relationship. You know, I'm very thankful for him. Essentially, (Ainge) took a chance on a 19-year-old kid, and (he) drafted me and made my dream come true. I'll always be thankful for that, regardless of wherever I'm at, wherever he's at. I'll always remember him in that way, that he was kind of the guy that made the decision that helped my dream come true, so I'm very thankful for that."
Further Reading
Joe Mazzulla Explains What's Different About the Celtics Since Their Loss in Houston
Jayson Tatum Made the Face of New Gatorade Ad Campaign
Celtics Convey What They're Focused on Improving as the Playoffs Approach
