Jayson Tatum is entering a new era in Boston, and he says he is comfortable taking on the responsibility that comes with it.
For the first time in his NBA career, Tatum will begin a season without Jaylen Brown alongside him after the Celtics traded the 2024 Finals MVP to the 76ers this offseason.
Brown’s departure leaves Tatum as the clear center piece of a new-look Celtics roster, but the six-time All-Star isn’t shying away from the leadership role.
“Yeah, very comfortable. This is Year 10,” Tatum said.. “Leadership is about a lot of different things. Awareness is the biggest one. Self-awareness, awareness of the group. And just understanding we all have roles and we’re just kind of simply in this together. So it looks different from person to person.”
Tatum and Brown spent nine seasons together, highlighted by Boston’s 2024 NBA championship, before financial considerations played a role in breaking up the partnership.
“The business of the NBA comes and plays a part at some point. And I’ve seen it in my almost 10 years in this league,” Tatum said. “For me it’s more so being grateful for what we accomplished and what he means for this city and to this organization. Just the ups and downs in our career that we were able to grow and learn from and made us the players that we are today. So really just being thankful for those nine years.”
Boston received Paul George in the Brown trade and also added Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley Jr. as the franchise reshaped the roster around Tatum.
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