Why Mazzulla thinks Tatum’s Olympic benching was ‘a gift’ |Max Sporty|

Why Mazzulla thinks Tatum’s Olympic benching was a ‘gift’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Jayson Tatum only won his first NBA championship in a season where he was voted first team All-NBA for the third consecutive year. And yet, he should still have plenty of motivation and hunger going into the 2024-25 season.

The great players always have that chip on their shoulder, even after winning.

For Tatum, he still has a lot to achieve. He didn’t win Finals MVP last season. Jaylen Brown was the deserving winner after a stunning performance against the Dallas Mavericks. So that’s one award Tatum can strive for. And getting sat out two games at the 2024 Paris Olympics with Team USA should also serve as a source of motivation for Tatum.

Tatum said Tuesday at Celtics Media Day that head coach Joe Mazzulla was “probably the happiest person” after the superstar forward didn’t win Finals MVP and went through adversity during the Olympics. He also added, “If you know Joe, it makes sense.”

Mazzulla wants the best for his players, and he knows those tough experiences will only help Tatum as he continues his career.

He went into more detail after Wednesday’s practice.

“I think that comes across as love,” Mazzulla told reporters when asked about Tatum’s comment, as seen in the video above. “Just as much as I love him is the relationship that we have, and I appreciate that he accepts my perspective and the way we talk about it. But at the end of the day, he’s 26 years old, and I just said. , listen, you’ve done so much in this league and, just take a step back and appreciate that and then be thankful that you have, God willing, 10, 12, 14 years left in this league — who knows what will you see

“And I think we haven’t seen the best of him yet because of how hard he works and how he’s willing to grow. So I thought it was great that he had something to work for. And sometimes when you succeed. , you don’t have that next hunger right in front of you.

“Sometimes you have to wait for it. Sometimes it’s a loss, sometimes it’s a defeat, and he was able to achieve that right in front of him. So I just thought it was a gift. It doesn’t mean he should” I shouldn’t be upset about it, I didn’t want to take away how that might affect him in real time because I wasn’t there. But as his coach and as someone who really cares about him, I thought it was great it gives him something to work towards.”

Mazzulla has a special relationship with his players, and this is another example. He knows what buttons to push to maximize their on-field production and keep them locked in on the team goals.

Complacency has been a problem for many defending champions in NBA history, but after listening to Mazzulla and Celtics players. speech at Media Day earlier this week, it doesn’t look like this team will be plagued by that problem.