After helping put the defending NBA champion New York Knicks in a 0-2 hole to start the 2026-27 NBA regular season, Jayson Tatum found his name in the news as much for a dissolved relationship as the bounce-back game the St. Louis native had after an inefficient night in Boston's season opener. Tatum being ensnared by off-court drama involving former teammate Jaylen Brown helped occlude that he logged a massive game in the first Cs victory of the season.
But Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla only had words for what the Duke alum did on the court after the win, exhorting us to "look at the stat sheet tonight –14 for 26, 36 points – that’s probably the game that everybody expects 82 nights a year. I’ll be a betting man that he gets something similar
to that most nights, but his greatness has to be in other ways for us and defensively as well."
"He takes on the challenge of being disruptive defensively," said Mazzulla. "I think his presence and his communication, (there are) still a ton of areas he can get better at defensively. It just is what it is."
"His presence, for your top two guys to take on defensive responsibilities and defensive accountability is very important for our team," added he Celtics coach.
"So, I thought it was a really well-balanced game from (Tatum) on both ends, and you’re able to see his greatness."
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Joe Mazzulla expects play from Jayson Tatum in Boston Celtics win vs. Knicks most nights
