The Boston Celtics earned their 18th banner in the rafters showcasing a dominant playoff performance. They had the strength, technique, guile, and teamwork to make things tick. Key player on the team? Jaylen Brown; and yes, don’t forget Jayson Tatum. You see, Tatum and Brown toiled for years and couldn’t muster up a championship. In 2024, all the grind transpired into something magical at the TD Garden.

Hold on though, there was a roadblock in the middle!

After the Celtics led the series 1-0 with a 120-95 victory, the team succumbed to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the semi-finals. Game 2 went in favor of Donovan Mitchell and Co., forcing Joe Mazulla and Tatum to think of a plan. And when something goes wrong for a player, he or she can rely on two people—coach and parents. Enter Justin Tatum for a Hall of Fame parenting session.

In an episode of The Starting 5, Tatum’s dad in a clip explains his son’s subpar performance in game 2. “The Cleveland series, he wasn’t playing to his best ability, and I can, kind of, like sense it when something is wrong,” Tatum Sr described. If you look at the game as such, Tatum scored 25 points. He went to the line and grabbed 9 free throws. Yet, he had an FG% of 41.2 in the game showcasing why you can’t compromise on efficiency. Especially in a playoff game, with no room for error.

His dad knew his psyche and didn’t waste time and called him to the hotel room to speak a few words and it goes, “So, we’re in the hotel. You know, I came right in the room, and I just went right at it, like, ‘Man. You know, you, you know, need to get your head out your own a–,” answered Justin Tatum.

He continued, “You need to find a way to, you know, block out all the critics, if they’re even bothering you, or what people saying. Like, you know it just takes one game. It just takes on shot.” 

From those words, you know Jayson Tatum is a confident player. He needs some love and the Boston faithful give him aplenty. Final result: 4-1, 18th to Boston! There’s another legend, though, having another view of Jayson Tatum’s struggles.

“Different type of superstar” – NBA legend decodes Jayson Tatum’s lionhearted identity

Notably, few players handle expectations as well as Tatum. One of them was Kevin Garnett, who led the storied franchise to its 17th title in 2008. ‘The Big Ticket’ laid out Tatum’s personality traits, including the fierce competitiveness that defines him.

“Jayson is a different type of superstar to me because I think naturally and organically he grows into his space. It’s a little different in Boston when you’re one of the faces of the league and you’re part of this new wave. You know the expectations are gonna be there for you to be great. The expectations are gonna be there for you to win,” said Garnett, speaking facts about Boston.

Since the era of Bill Russell and Larry Bird, if you wanted to win the title, you should eat like the Celtics, train like the Celtics, and get competitive like the Celtics. Probably one team that comes close is a franchise with a father-son duo making headlines. As rightfully said by KG, only some can manage those lofty expectations.

KG continued, “And you know what? You want them expectations cause everybody don’t get ’em. And on some realer s–t than that, everybody don’t get a chance to actually win it.”

It’s lovely to hear those words about a player having critics behind his back. He can play with freedom with all the pressure down the drain, similar to Lionel Messi’s Argentina World Cup. That spells danger because Jayson Tatum is coming to get you again!