LAS VEGAS — Contemporary off successful an NBA title and signing a file contract extension over the weekend, Jayson Tatum arrived in Sin Metropolis for his first Group USA coaching camp apply Monday with a contemporary haircut and feeling like a weight was lifted off his shoulders.
“One hundred percent,” Tatum mentioned, shortly after taking part in his first apply right here after being excused from the opening two days of preparation for the Paris Olympic Video games. “Simply being on the matter of debate of so many debates or no matter it’s … ‘Can he lead a workforce? Is he a top-five participant?’
“There’s nonetheless a whole lot of issues I suppose they will debate. However now I’ve achieved one thing that they can not debate: I’ve gained a championship. Having that beneath my belt, like clearly it is nonetheless conversations available or no matter folks need to say, however they at all times bought to discuss with me as an NBA champion.”
There is not any arguing that, after Tatum and the Celtics adopted up main the NBA with 64 regular-season victories by going 16-3 within the postseason — second solely to the 16-1 mark by the 2017 Golden State Warriors by way of playoff successful proportion because the league went to 4 seven-game rounds within the playoffs.
Tatum mentioned the championship parade final month was “the perfect two hours of my life” and that it was arduous to clarify how “insane” the environment and vitality had been within the metropolis that day as Boston reveled in passing its ceaselessly rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, to turn into the NBA chief with 18 championships.
But when anybody was considering that the Celtics — particularly, coach Joe Mazzulla — could be enjoyable after successful that first championship, Tatum made it clear that would not be occurring.
“Joe is already making an attempt to attract up s— for subsequent season,” Tatum mentioned with a smile. “And I used to be like, ‘Joe, f— that. We simply gained a championship. Take pleasure in it. Chill out.’
“Like, I am not fearful about any units that he is making an attempt to place in proper now. We had amusing about it, as a result of he is simply so pushed — which all of us are, nevertheless it’s like, man, we labored so arduous for this. So we bought to get pleasure from it.”
Tatum can also be having fun with Boston’s exceptional stage of roster continuity heading into subsequent season. The workforce has already re-signed facilities Luke Kornet, Neemias Queta and Xavier Tillman in free company and inked each Tatum and All-Defensive Group guard Derrick White to long-term contract extensions.
As of now, Boston has retained 13 of 15 gamers from its championship-winning roster, with Oshae Brissett and Svi Mykhailiuk being changed by first-round decide Baylor Scheierman. No one is happier about that than Tatum, who mentioned he hoped everybody could be again from final season’s workforce, citing how a lot workforce chemistry helped the Celtics.
“We had a hell of a workforce,” Tatum mentioned. “Clearly the fellows that did play, however the guys in our ‘keep prepared’ group are extraordinarily proficient at any time when we referred to as upon them. I feel the camaraderie that we had was such a close-knit workforce that all of us bought alongside actually, rather well.
“I did not actually need any modifications. I believed we had a extremely, actually good workforce on all fronts.”
One place the place Boston may have a change, nonetheless, is in its possession group. Controlling proprietor Wyc Grousbeck introduced every week in the past that he and his household could be promoting their controlling stake within the franchise. It was a transfer that got here out of the blue to virtually everybody — together with Tatum himself, who admitted he did not realize it was coming.
“I used to be very shocked,” Tatum mentioned. “I did not hear something about that prior, and we simply gained a championship. Thought the whole lot was nice. However folks have selections they need to make, particularly them and their household. As a person, you bought to respect that.”
He additionally mentioned the possession group had achieved a great job of reassuring everybody throughout the franchise that nothing would change transferring ahead.
What else will not change is Tatum’s standing because the face of the franchise in Boston, after he agreed to a file five-year, $314 million extension.
Now, he mentioned, the purpose is to comply with up that first championship with successful as many as he can in Boston.
“I am very simply grateful and grateful,” Tatum mentioned of signing the extension. “It isn’t concerning the cash. I have been lucky sufficient to make sufficient, greater than I ever thought I might ever have and to handle my household. So for me, simply to really feel needed, that they needed me to be, needed me for the lengthy haul, for my complete profession.
“I’ve bought nothing however love for town, the followers and everyone within the group, and we simply gained a championship, and I need attempt to win as many as I can.”