BOSTON — Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum has had a dramatic start to the 2026-27 regular season in more ways than one. The six-time All-Star struggled a lot during the Celtics' opener, but since then he's completely turned things around and dazzled with three straight impressive performances. Most recently, he netted a game-winning jumper at the buzzer in overtime to secure a 125-124 win for the Celtics against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night.
Unfortunately for Tatum, not all of the drama is on the court. Former Celtics star Jaylen Brown, who Boston traded to the rival Philadelphia 76ers this offseason, dissed Tatum on social media last Thursday, implying that he lied about being blindsided by the blockbuster deal. Tatum responded in the press
the next day and said there was no beef between them. However, Brown joked about this on Saturday and implied Tatum's "great PR team" was behind his old teammate's answer, which he might view as insincere.
Following his buzzer-beating bucket, Tatum was asked to address Brown's "PR" comments. He shut that conversation down before it could begin again.
"Listen, I said my piece," he stated inside the press room at TD Garden. "I'm not making any more comments on that situation."
After Tatum scorched the reigning champion New York Knicks on Friday night, he mentioned the idea of talking to Brown in private about their complicated relationship. The 2024 NBA champion wouldn't say if that conversation happened or not, yet it doesn't sound promising at the moment.
Tatum hasn't let these off-court theatrics throw him off. The Green Team's go-to guy recorded a whopping 40 points versus the Nets and didn't turn the ball over once. His terrific outing marked the second consecutive contest in which he bailed out the C's and led them to a clutch win.
Derrick White on Jayson Tatum assuming more responsibility this season and performing at a high level:
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) October 28, 2026
“He goes out there, competes, does a little bit of everything for us and (is a) big-time player, makes big-time plays for 48 minutes.” pic.twitter.com/NsMkq9ANOx
"He goes out there, competes, does a little bit everything for us and (is a) big-time player, makes big-time plays for 48 minutes," Celtics guard Derrick White described of his favorite teammate. "It's been a lot of fun having him out there, and he's doing a great job."
The Celtics are 3-1 to start the season and seem to be successfully preventing outside distractions from impacting their play. They'll seek a fourth straight win on Friday night when they host the Chicago Bulls as part of NBA Cup group play.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Jayson Tatum shuts down questions on Jaylen Brown drama
