“I wanna be a billionaire so f—–g bad,” remember the song by Bruno Mars? That’s probably one of Jayson Tatum‘s favorite songs. But instead of being a billionaire, he just wants to be the MVP. He didn’t make it to the cover of Forbes magazine, but he’s on Sports Illustrated’s cover, and for a 26-year-old, that’s quite impressive no matter what naysayers say. Even on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the Celt said, “Can I say myself?” when the host asked about his MVP pick for next season. But that needs to wait!

On the latest episode of SiriusXM NBA Radio, former hooper Antonio Danielson urged Tatum to focus only on one thing, that’s not the MVP award. According to Danielson, JT’s goal should be ensuring the Celtics’ back-to-back title win. “The whole MVP thing, I think Jason Tatum will be in that conversation,” Danielson said. “But if I’m Jayson Tatum, I care less about averaging 30 points a game…My goal is to repeat. Not to win MVP, but simply to repeat as champions. I think that should be the most important thing.”

GSW was the last to win consecutive titles from 2016 to 18. Will Jayson Tatum heed the advice? That’s a debate for another day. But wait, we have more. Rather, Kendrick Perkins has an opinion that’s enough to cause a debate. The ex-Celt laid out his verdict on the championship picture next season and boldly claimed, “Basketball is competition. No one in the NBA is scared right now of the Boston Celtics.”

Perks highlighted the fact that the Eastern Conference teams have improved their rosters to look eye-to-eye with the Shamrocks. The Knicks got Mikal Bridges, the Sixers got Paul George. The picture is the same in the West too, with teams improving from last season.

“They’re coming into training camp feeling great. Let’s be real. A lot of people been looking at the path that the Celtics went through to win the NBA championship and say that they actually had an easy path for the competition and the teams that they played that were not healthy,” Perkins further added.

Stating his belief that we’ll see a ‘better version’ of Jayson Tatum, something the All-Star himself believes too, the analyst concluded, “There’s a reason that we’re on this streak right now where teams haven’t repeated. It’s hard!”

With all these warnings, Jayson Tatum already has his plate full before the season. But he was hoping for exactly this sort of pressure, with a target on his back. The hooper discussed the same during the Celtics’ press day and revealed what sort of target Joe Mazzulla and Co. is setting for the upcoming campaign.

Jayson Tatum unveils big plans for the ‘title defense’ season

With a bag full of new accolades, Jayson Tatum took his seat today for the Boston Celtics’ Media Day. While talking to the reporters, the 26-year-old expressed great pride in their incredible performance last season, which led to the historic win. He further elaborated on his plans for the upcoming season. “This year, not necessarily feeling like we have to defend the title, but we’re trying to go win it,” the Olympic gold medalist stated. Tatum mentioned, “We had a target on our back the last couple of years. You know, nothing has changed in that aspect. If anything, we know how great it felt to win, and what it took, and we’re trying to go win again.”

After several trials, the Celtics discovered the way to the championship. The C’s are going into the next season with their core team intact. Despite Kristaps Porzingis’ predicted early absence next season, Jayson Tatum and Co. have enough to weather the storm. They’ve also made the addition of Lonnie Walker IV during the free agency who will help out in defense while providing space on the floor on offense. HC Joe Mazzulla has set the goal straight, by declaring, “We’re not defending anything. We’re chasing another championship,” looking forward to chasing the prestigious title every season.

Inspired by the coach’s words, Jayson Tatum is optimistic about next season, and it won’t be a bad idea to scoop the MVP award on the way. After all, every time JT closes his eyes, he sees his name in the shining light. Oh wait, scratch that, make that the MVP trophy.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.