Boston Celtics third-year swingman Jayson Tatum appeared on ESPN’s The Jump Monday to talk about what he’s been up to in the shutdown and the season that preceded it, revealing he’d hardly touched a basketball since the Mar. 12 suspension of league activities.
The Duke product, who was elected to his first NBA All-Star Game as a reserve this past February, has been keeping up on his conditioning as best as he is able, but as with many players around the league, there’s a limit to what can be accomplished at home.
“It’s a difficult time right now. Because it’s not like [NBA players] are able to work out and get in the gym,” began Tatum.
“I haven’t been able to touch a basketball since our last game in Indiana. I got stuff to workout at home and cardio and weights and stuff. But yeah, I haven’t played basketball in a long time.”
The local inclement weather New England and Boston in particular is known for hasn’t exactly helped the situation, either. “It’s raining and it’s still pretty cold up here,” he added, “so it’s not the best conditions to be outside.”
The conversation changed rapidly from MVP debates and Tatum’s efforts to help hungry families in Boston and St. Louis, Missouri to some of the highlights of the former Blue Devil’s 2019-20 season.
On the topic of breaking Clippers forward Paul George’s ankles in a game against Los Angeles in November, Tatum was modest; “I think I stepped on this foot a little bit … I broke his ankle because I kind of stepped on his foot.”
He was a little more open to the name — the Problem — conferred to him by LeBron James after Tatum’s career-high tying 41-point performance against the Los Angeles Lakers in February, however.
LeBron declares Jayson Tatum "an absolute problem" https://t.co/Kps5eWT07G
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) February 24, 2020
“I’ll take that nickname,” he began. “I remember he posted it. It was like right after we played him [in February].
“We were in L.A., and I remember how I was back … in my hotel room … and I remember my best friend from back home, he called me like, ‘Bro, go in your Instagram, like LeBron just gave you [a nickname]. He just shouted you out.’ I know I’ve seen it.”
“And I’m a competitor. But I realized at the end of the day, that’s one of the greatest players ever and somebody I looked up to growing up so, you know, I still understand that’s a big deal.”
Whether or not the nickname sticks is a different question, but Tatum isn’t wrong that it’s a big deal he was recognized by a pivotal figure in NBA history after his performance that night.
But even if the nickname ends up falling by the wayside, his growth this season suggests that the St. Louis native will continue to be a problem for opponents for a long time to come.
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