It was pretty clear early in the Boston Celtics’ recent win over the Brooklyn Nets that star Celtics forward Jayson Tatum could have gone for a truly gaudy stat line. By the time the first half ended, the St. Louis native had already logged 31 points.
But Tatum instead elected to get his teammates involved in the game’s second half, and while the contest got a bit close for comfort in the final frame, it also likely helped keep his teammates engaged. “I’ve already had my fair share of (50-point games),” said the All-NBA forward via The Athletic’s Jay King. “I’ve scored 60 before, and I know I can do that.”
“But it’s all about just playing in a rhythm,” he added. “I came out (in the) second half understanding they might guard me differently or come hit, and I was handling the ball a lot more and just trying to manipulate the defense.”
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“Chasing big numbers is if I would have came out and shot 10 straight at the start of the third quarter,” Tatum explained. “It was just all about playing in the flow.”
“We’ve got a really good team where on any given possession we could have two or three advantages. It’s not always going to be me. So, understanding that and knowing that I need my teammates. I need everybody. We all need each other. So, everybody, we’ve got to share the love.”
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