"I Truly Do Believe My Time Is Coming, And It's Going To Be Well Worth It" - Jayson Tatum's Exclusive Sit Down With ESPN Is Beyond Must Watch For All Celtics Fans

Sarah Stier. Getty Images.

Yesterday I blogged about how part of what makes the NBA's All Star break so brutal to get through as a fan while we all wait for games is it forces us to instead focus on petty meaningless drama to get us through our day.  

This break is also a time for agenda pushing. You'll see interviews and long features start to come out during this time off as we all prepare for the stretch run of the MVP season. As we know, things like the MVP are extremely narrative based, so right around now is when you're going to start to see narratives being pushed and certain players getting a ton of limelight and articles written about them.

We're seeing that exact push when it comes to Jayson Tatum. While I do think his MVP chances are pretty slim at this point, that doesn't mean there won't be a narrative push for him as the best player on the best team. For a player like Tatum, it's not just the MVP, it'd also the "next face of the NBA" push. 

Part of this push isn't just an Athletic article, you also get the ESPN sitdown interview. I have to say, I've watched a lot of Jayson Tatum interviews in the past, and this might be the best one yet. I'd say it's about as must watch as must watch gets for any Celts fan out there

I truly think that 95% of the "hate" or "slander" that Jayson Tatum gets is because of what team he plays for. When you're that good and you play for the Boston Celtics, there's a built-in level of hate that comes with it. Most of it comes out of pure jealousy from opposing fanbases that have had to witness Jayson Tatum end their season on multiple occasions, and part of it comes from people like me who most definitely can be annoying when it comes to Tatum and his standing within the league, but almost none of it comes from Tatum himself. 

He's never controversial, he's quiet, he seems like a fantastic teammate, he's really fucking good, and you get the sense that all he cares about is basketball and hanging out with Deuce. He's basically exactly what you would want in a franchise player/next face of the NBA.

It's hard to pick a favorite part of that interview given there were so many great moments, but I think I'd have to go with the end

Lord, it is me once again asking you to please let this be the year. Hearing Tatum's perspective around the 2022 Finals loss, it has to be for a reason and the reason needs to be a 2024 chip. 

I'm sure some will take his declaration that he's the best player in the NBA and run with it and clown Tatum for it, but it's pretty much what every top 5-6 player says. That's the mindset I want Tatum to have, because every time he steps on the floor he has the potential to be the best player in that game, regardless of who it's against. The training wheels are off, it is now go time for him (and Jaylen) to finish the job, and to do that NBA history tells us your best player needs to perform like the best player in the NBA. 

Just go through recent history. Jokic's run last year was literally the greatest postseason run the NBA has ever seen. The year before, Steph went nuclear in the Finals. The year before that, Giannis did the same. You can have all the talent in the world on your roster, but to win a title your best player needs to take that additional leap. Had that happened in 2022 with Tatum, the Celts have a ring, and hearing him talk in that interview it's clear he knows that. 

Whenever these kinds of interviews happen, it's very important to remember that ultimately, talk is cheap. It's one thing to go out and say all the right things and have the right mindset, but what truly matters is that it translates onto the court when the team is faced with the biggest moments of their season. Everything we've seen from the Celts up until this point tells us they are ready, but this is also something you can only prove in a playoff run, not regular season basketball.

But I will say this, Jayson Tatum is absolutely correct that when it does finally happen and the team raises their 18th banner, it will 100000000000000% be worth it.

Now, let us pray