Jayson Tatum says he is a long way from playing his best basketball, and that he believes he can get a lot better at Celtics media day.
There's not much Jayson Tatum has failed to accomplish during his first seven seasons with the Boston Celtics.
He has been voted First-Team All-NBA in three consecutive seasons. He has won an All-Star Game MVP. He is the only C's player ever to average 30-plus points in a season. He has won an Eastern Conference Finals MVP. And, most notably, he is a champion after helping the Celtics eliminate the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals.
Despite all of those accolades, Tatum still feels he can play even better, and that's a scary thought for the rest of the league.
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"For me, it's not just one specific thing, right? At 26 years old, and as accomplished as I am, I just always feel like overall I can still get better," Tatum told the NBC Sports Boston crew at Celtics Media Day, as seen in the video player above.
"You haven't seen the best version of Jayson Tatum. And you shouldn't have, right? I'm only 26, I should continue to get better."
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Tatum averaged 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists -- all while playing fantastic defense -- for the Celtics last season. He made tremendous strides as a playmaker and a rebounder. In fact, he had 10-plus assists and/or rebounds in 14 of Boston's 19 playoff games during the championship run. He found ways to impact winning at a high level besides scoring, and the Celtics benefited greatly as a result.
One area where Tatum struggled toward the end of the 2023-24 season was outside shooting. He shot a career-low 28.3 percent from 3-point range in the playoffs. Those struggles carried over to the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he didn't make a single 3-pointer for Team USA.
Tatum has been hard at work with trainer Drew Hanlen over the last few weeks to make some adjustments entering the new season.
"I watched a lot of film. I've been working with my trainer Drew a lot, recently in the last few weeks," Tatum said at his media day press conference. "A few mechanical things, pickup points, hand placement, getting lower, getting my shoulders forward and things like that."
Most players hit their peak in their late twenties, and Tatum is entering the start of that range right now. If these shooting adjustments result in Tatum becoming a more efficient scorer, it's possible he could be firmly in the MVP conversation this coming season.
