“Talent alone isn’t enough!” – Jayson Tatum reflects on his time with Kyrie Irving

The Boston Celtics against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals is billed to be an interesting contest.

“Talent alone isn’t enough!” – Jayson Tatum reflects on his time with Kyrie Irving

Jayson Tatum and Kyrie Irving

The Boston Celtics prepare to face the Dallas Mavericks and Kyrie Irving, and Jayson Tatum has reflected on the lessons he learned from the 2018-19 season when he played alongside Irving. Tatum acknowledged that having a talented team isn’t enough to guarantee success and that everyone on the team, including himself, needed to be willing to sacrifice and work together.

The 2018-19 season was considered a failure, as the Boston Celtics were eliminated in five games by the Bucks. Kyrie Irving was often blamed for the team’s struggles, but Jayson Tatum doesn’t agree with that narrative, instead, he believes that the collective selfishness of the team, which included himself, was the main reason they didn’t achieve their goals.

You have to have guys that are willing to sacrifice, guys that are willing to do the other things in order for the team to have a chance, and it wasn’t a Kyrie thing, it was all of us. We all took part in why that season wasn’t a success.
Jayson Tatum said after Saturday’s practice

Tatum and Irving were part of a talented Celtics team that included Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, and Al Horford. Despite their potential, the team didn’t stay together long enough to achieve success. Now, Tatum and Irving are on opposite sides, fighting for a chance to win the title.

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Tatum’s comments show that he has grown and learned from his experiences, and he recognizes the importance of teamwork and sacrifice in achieving success. Despite the disappointment of the 2018-19 season, Tatum has continued to develop into a 5x All-Star and a leader on the Celtics.

Jayson Tatum sees a second chance at the NBA finals as an opportunity to redeem himself 

Jayson Tatum views his return to the NBA Finals as a second chance to achieve his ultimate goal after coming up short two years ago. He believes that the experience he gained from the previous Finals appearance will help him this time around, and he is simplifying his approach by focusing on winning the series.

You don't always get a second chance, so really just looking at it as a second chance and trying to simplify things as much as we can. It's another series that we gotta win.
Jayson Tatum said after Saturday’s practice

Tatum played through a wrist injury in the 2022 Finals and struggled with his shooting, including a disappointing Game 6 loss at home to the Golden State Warriors. The Celtics have worked hard to get back to the Finals, overcoming a tough loss in the 2023 Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat.

Tatum credits his time playing with Kyrie Irving, his opponent in the current Finals, as a valuable learning experience. Despite the ups and downs of their time together, Tatum appreciates the opportunity to have played alongside a superstar and learned from him both on and off the court. 

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