Jayson Tatum has become the NBA player people love to hate and he recently opened up about how he deals with outside noise.
Tatum is a five-time All-Star, has won two Olympic gold medals and has a championship under his belt at the age of 26.
But the criticism from the NBA media and the public at large seems endless and Tatum doesn't see it.
“It's hard to see people talking about you on TV or doubting you on TV, or all the things they say on Twitter because one, how much you sacrifice and how hard you work at your job,” said Tatum, The Boston Globe Gary Washburn. “You want to be better. You want to play your best every night and it just doesn't happen that way.”
In the same interview, Tatum revealed the moment he knew the Celtics would defend their first championship in 16 years.
“People always ask me, when did you know you were going to win the tournament?” Tatum said. “When Minnesota beat Denver, I felt like Denver was the only team that was more like us. I thought we were going to play Denver in the finals and it was going to be great.”
Many have argued that Boston had an 'easy run' to the championship last season after facing injury-destroyed teams in the playoffs.
This season may look different as many Eastern Conference teams such as the Knicks and 76ers have strengthened their roster during the off-season and the Celtics have seen it.
“[Coach] Joe Mazzulla, he had a great quote the other day,” Tatum said. “He said, we are not protecting anything. We are chasing another tournament… Honestly, after opening night, we have to put it behind us. A new season. Last year was last year, we accomplished something special. We have to find a way to get better. We wanted to approach the game with the same mindset, and we did an amazing job last year.”
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