“Very Upset”: Jayson Tatum’s Mom Battles His Online Critics as Non-Kevin Durant Actions Help Escape Trauma

At the end of the day, mind games play a crucial role, don’t they? Boston‘s Jayson Tatum, who faced a series of heartbreaks, prepares for the challenge, staying away from media playing a role in his head. He took the non-Kevin Durant head-on route, heading into the Finals series against Dallas to escape trauma. However, his mother doesn’t seem to have taken the same path, as she’s gone after the critics. On The Bill Simmons Podcast, the vet analyst stressed the Cs are well aware of the media narratives heading into the series.

He also said they don’t have a “Kevin Durant situation”. By that, he meant the Suns superstar’s practice of tackling the online hate on his own. While it may not affect the Slim Reaper’s performance, it could affect others. However, in this case, the friends and family of the Celtics players have taken the task of seemingly transferring the news into the locker room. Speaking of which, Bill said, “Celtics heard everything.” 

Adding to it, Bill’s father, who joined the podcast as a guest, said, “Tatum tries to stay away from reading all that, but his mother doesn’t. And his mother was all over it. Very upset.” Despite the dominant run throughout the season, the Celtics don’t seem to get the due credit. Heading the Finals, the media narratives trashed the team’s efforts, saying that the Celts had an easy route, playing against the short-handed teams.

At the same time, conversations around the Finals were only about Kyrie and Doncic being the best players in the series, Simmons said. Moreover, he also stressed JB already made a statement with his Game 1 heroics and expected Tatum to fire in the next game.

Will the ‘non-Kevin Durant approach’ help Jayson Tatum?

Jayson Tatum was extremely close to claiming his first ring in 2022. But Stephen Curry & Co. had a dominant run and snatched it away from him. Following the loss, he spiraled downwards, emotionally. Speaking of the loss, JT said, “Those three, four days after (the NBA Finals), I was miserable. I really, really was.” 

He added, “I literally gave everything that I had. To feel like I ran out, that I didn’t have anything left to give, and that we were so close … I didn’t have an appetite, I didn’t want to talk to anybody, I didn’t want to go anywhere.” With a Finals loss affecting the superstar to this extent, every Cs fan would honestly prefer he stays away from the vitriol on social media, especially during the Finals.

Meanwhile, on the other end, Kevin Durant fed off his critics. It started during his time with the OKC Thunder. Speaking about the criticism the media laid on him, he said, “Man, the [media and experts are] always trying to nitpick us. I mean, they don’t like us.” He never shied away from even replying to fan hate on social media. Despite that, he has continued to stay on top of his game.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow in what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about WNBA sensation Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, this video