NBA
Jayson Tatum Gets Advice From Reggie Miller After Ugly NBA Finals Showing
Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics had one heck of a season. The three-time NBA All-Star led his team to an unexpected berth in the 2022 NBA Finals after Boston’s rough start to the season.
At 24 years old, Tatum is the leader of the young Celtics. Before this season, he had been to the Eastern Conference Finals twice, losing both. This year, he finally got over the hump and into the championship round.
Tatum struggled on the big stage. He had trouble holding on to the ball, finishing at the rim, and had some poor shooting nights. Reggie Miller, a five-time All-Star and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, had some sound advice for a dejected Tatum.
Jayson Tatum led the Boston Celtics to a remarkable turnaround
For the first half of the NBA season, it looked like business as usual for the Celtics, despite massive changes in the front office and the coaching ranks. Danny Ainge resigned from his president of basketball operations position, and Brad Stevens, who coached the Celtics the previous eight years, replaced him.
Stevens then hired Ime Udoka, who had never been a head coach in the NBA. The shakeup occurred after the Celtics had a disappointing 36-36 season and a quick first-round playoff exit in 2021.
For much of the season, it looked like the same old Celtics. Through 50 games, they went 25-25. They had their frustrating moments, with Marcus Smart publicly calling out Tatum and Jaylen Brown for being selfish. On several occasions, Udoka questioned his team’s effort.
When mid-January rolled around, something clicked. Led by Tatum, the Celtics became a different team. They closed out the season on a 26-6 run, securing the No. 2 seed on the final day of the regular season. Tatum sparked that surge. He put together the best season of his five-year career, finishing with career-highs in points (26.9), rebounds (8.0), and assists (4.4).
Tatum gets advice from Reggie Miller after a tough go in the NBA Finals
As good as Tatum was during the regular season, he was just as bad in the NBA Finals. Tatum’s play was inconsistent throughout the postseason, but his run during the Finals was ugly.
Tatum knows it. He felt the pain after the Warriors closed out the series on Boston’s home court in six games.
Miller had some words of advice for Boston’s star during an appearance Friday on The Dan Patrick Show.
“Understand and relish in the disappointment of that series versus Golden State,” Miller said when Patrick asked what advice he’d give Tatum. “It’s painful. I’ve been there.
“At 24, the future is bright. To me, his star is only going to ascent and rise. If he can take that pain of how that felt and use it to his advantage, I think the Celtics have something special brewing there.”
Patrick told Miller that Tatum’s game is concerning because it’s “sloppy.”
“I’m not worried about Jayson Tatum,” Miller said. “I know it’s disappointing because we were ready to anoint him. I get it, but you can’t discredit what he did throughout this postseason against some of the all-time greats in our game.”
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