‘Nothing gets in way of team,’ says Boston Celtics’ MVP hopeful Jayson Tatum
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Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics shooting over Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets during a pre-season game in Abu Dhabi.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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ABU DHABI – Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum is not shying away from declaring his Most Valuable Player (MVP) ambitions, but assures his personal goals will never come at the expense of the team’s overall success.
The Celtics wrapped up their National Basketball Association (NBA) pre-season trip in Abu Dhabi on Oct 6 with a second victory in three days over the Denver Nuggets, routing the 2023 champions 130-104 at the Etihad Arena.
Discussing his MVP ambitions for the season, which tips off on Oct 22, Tatum said: “Everybody should have individual goals, but we’re all mature enough and know what it’s like to have team success.
“Nothing gets in the way of what we’re trying to accomplish and be as special and great as we were last year and even better this year.”
Boston went a league-best 64-18 in the regular season en route to the 2023-24 title, but the one team they were unable to beat all season were the Nuggets.
The tables were turned during the two games in the UAE, where Boston outplayed their rivals, particularly with a 42-16 run in the third quarter on Oct 6.
The Celtics stuck to their starting line-up from the Oct 4 game – Jaylen Brown, Tatum, Luke Kornet, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday – but the Nuggets swopped Michael Porter Jr and Aaron Gordon with Julian Strawther and Vlatko Cancar, who joined Nikola Jokic, Christian Braun and Jamal Murray on the floor.
Newly-acquired guard Russell Westbrook, who made his debut for the Nuggets in the first game, did not participate in the second, neither did Porter Jr nor Gordon.
Reigning NBA Finals MVP Brown scored a game-high 21 points for the Celtics, with five other players on the squad hitting double digits, including 17 points from Tatum.
Tatum, whose three-point shooting let him down during the play-offs last season, said he has been working on his shooting form and feels he has made progress ahead of the start of the new campaign.
The 26-year-old power forward shot 43 per cent from beyond the arc and 43 per cent from the field on Oct 6.
The Celtics are trying to become the first team to retain their NBA crown since the Golden State Warriors went back-to-back in 2017 and 2018, and will need everyone to be at their best.
“Whether the guys want to make All-Defensive Team or All-Star or being MVP, you should be able to want to go after that,” continued Tatum.
“That means that you’re having a hell of a year, that means that you’re dominating, that means that you’re being the best version of yourself, which we want everybody to be.”
Three-time MVP Jokic top-scored for the Nuggets with 20 points in 18½ minutes of play but the team’s second unit and further combinations off the bench struggled to keep up with the Celtics after half-time.
“That third quarter was a far cry of who we need to be,” admitted Nuggets coach Michael Malone. AFP
