Jayson Tatum Making It Abundantly Clear How Much He Despises Load Management Shows Exactly Why He's A Worthy Face Of The NBA

Maddie Meyer. Getty Images.

What a day it's been for Celts fans. First, we finally got the Jaylen Brown extension. That was a big one, even if it was probably always a given. The wait was stressful.

As someone who wanted the Celts to stay in the Jaylen Brown business, normally that would be enough to carry me through the day. Thankfully, we get to refill our glass with more ice cold Celts Kool Aid, this time via their other franchise player.

Right off the bat, it is a little bit of a mindfuck to hear Tatum talking like a vet already. Where has the time gone? It feels like just yesterday this was him

But in an NBA world where everyone, most notably star players, have fully adopted the "load management" approach, it is so refreshing to hear how much Tatum despises that shit. If there's one thing you can always bank on it's the fact that Jayson Tatum is going to play. You have to cut this dude's leg off if you want him to sit out. Every time it comes up during the year we hear about how he and Brad basically fight to the death about it

Hearing Tatum talk in that clip, I couldn't help but make the connection to his idol Kobe Bryant. It basically sounded the exact same

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mix in a little KG from his MIN days in what is perhaps my favorite interview ever

and in my opinion, the NBA as a whole would be a much better product if the other superstars of the league approached things the same way. I get why teams do it, I understand it's never going away and probably only gets worse, but that's why I'll always have more respect for the guys who suit up every night. While he may not be a perfect player, you could never say Tatum doesn't go out there and earn his money/status/whatever the hell you want to throw in there. Messed up shoulder, messed up wrist, an ankle that ballooned up after 5 seconds in the ECF, this dude plays.

Oh, and that whole playing in Charlotte thing? While it was tough to see them catch a stray like that, let's not forget Tatum went into that building and did this

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He could have sat, but he didn't. Instead, he put on a performance for the ages. That's the type of guy I want running my franchise/being a face of the league.