Jayson Tatum spoke recently about his pregame ritual, explaining every single gesture from his prayer, to him tugging on his ears. He noted that these gestures have been something he does before games far before he entered the NBA, and they reflect his gratitude for the position he is in.
“You know I always pray before the competition starts. Been doing that for every game, even since I’ve been a young kid. Extremely blessed to be in this situation. And then, I always tug my ears, because that’s something that me and my grandma have always done to kind of just acknowledge her. It’s been our little thing ever since I was in elementary/middle school.”
The significance of Jayson Tatum's pregame ritual 🙏
(via @NBA)pic.twitter.com/RKCbHil7GF
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 2, 2024
These rituals mean a lot to Tatum, as he does it before every game. Regardless of how things go, Tatum is grateful for the position he is in and continues to show respect and admiration to those who helped him get to this point.
Tatum is one of the best players in the NBA and a key piece on one of the best teams in the league with the Celtics. This year, the Celtics have been considered the favorites to win the NBA championship, and Tatum is a large part of that. In the playoffs, however, Tatum has struggled against some teams.
During this playoff run, Tatum has averaged 26.0 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 5.9 assists. While these numbers seem strong at a glance, one can look deeper at his statistics to see why he has been poor, shooting at just 44.2% from the field and a rough 29% from the three-point line. These shooting numbers could be disastrous for the Celtics if Tatum keeps it up in the NBA Finals.
Is Jayson Tatum Being Surpassed By Jaylen Brown?
Recently, Gilbert Arenas shut down the idea of Jaylen Brown being better than Jayson Tatum, explaining that his great run in the Eastern Conference Finals was in large part due to the defensive attention Jayson Tatum draws, and showed skepticism when asked if Brown could put up the same stat line if he was double-teamed like Tatum.
“These are the things Kobe used to prove. I’m getting doubled, you’re not. Jayson Tatum is getting doubled, Jaylen Brown is not. You look like the number one option because two people are trying to stop you. So when you get the ball, you get to play one-on-one basketball.”
“Congratulations. You get doubled, and let’s see what you do. You’re not going to average 30/10/6 being double-teamed… They doubled Kobe and they doubled Shaq. What I’m saying is you can’t be the number one option if you’re not demanding number one option stuff… Stop pushing those dumba** narratives, man.”
The consistent quality of both Tatum and Brown as players has caused some people to speculate about the nature of their relationship. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla shut down any rumors of beef between the two, noting that they are two different teammates with different approaches, but they love and respect each other nonetheless.
Regardless of which player might be better, Tatum and the Celtics’ main focus will be on the NBA championship. They’ve managed to return to the finals after their appearance in 2022, and will want to make sure things go better this time around. Tatum will have to have a far better performance in the NBA Finals than last time if the Celtics want to win their 18th NBA championship.
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