Jayson Tatum has mirrored on the top of his lengthy partnership with Jaylen Brown after the Boston Celtics traded their 2024 NBA Finals MVP to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Brown had been Tatum’s team-mate all through the ahead’s improvement from a promising rookie into one of many NBA’s main stars, with the pair taking part in collectively for 9 seasons and mixing to steer Boston to the 2024 championship.
The Celtics in the end selected to maneuver Brown in a deal extensively considered as a cost-cutting measure, bringing an finish to one of many longest-running partnerships within the Jap Convention.
Tatum stated the truth of the NBA ultimately means tough selections need to be made, however needed to deal with what he and Brown achieved collectively.
“The enterprise of the NBA comes and performs a component in some unspecified time in the future. And I’ve seen it in my nearly 10 years on this league,” Tatum stated throughout Celtics media day on Monday.
“For me it’s extra so being grateful for what we completed and what he means for this metropolis and to this group. Simply the ups and downs in our profession that we have been in a position to develop and be taught from and made us the gamers that we’re at the moment. So actually simply being grateful for these 9 years.”
Questions over the pair’s relationship away from the courtroom had adopted them all through their time collectively, significantly as each gamers ultimately signed contracts value greater than $300 million.
Tatum prepared to steer new-look Celtics
The six-time All-Star enters the season as Boston’s greatest participant, with the Celtics additionally having to regulate following main adjustments to their roster.
Paul George was acquired within the commerce involving Brown, whereas the Celtics additionally added Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley Jr.
Tatum stated he’s comfy taking better duty as he prepares to return for his first full season since struggling a torn Achilles throughout the 2025 NBA playoffs.
“Yeah, very comfy. That is 12 months 10,” Tatum stated. “Management is about a number of various things. Consciousness is the largest one. Self-awareness, consciousness of the group. And simply understanding all of us have roles and we’re simply type of merely on this collectively. So it appears totally different from individual to individual.”
Head coach Joe Mazzulla doesn’t consider Boston must outline the brand new group just by what has been misplaced.
“I don’t suppose that it’s essentially the phrase ‘with out Jaylen,’” Mazzulla stated. “Yearly you’re getting new gamers, outdated gamers, the identical gamers that you’ve got coming again broaden their video games they usually look in a different way. So it’s not as a lot what it appears like with out one particular person or the opposite as a lot because it’s what’s our roster, how can we reap the benefits of the strengths and expertise that now we have.”
