Jayson Tatum compares opening night to first day of school
BOSTON -- As he heads into his sixth NBA season, Celtics star Jayson Tatum admitted Monday that he no longer feels "butterflies" at the start of a new year. The nerves of a new season are no longer a thing for the 24-year-old.
Instead, he's now anxious with excitement. Excitement to get back to work, and excitement to start another run Tuesday night at an NBA championship.
"Honestly, it's like the first day of school," Tatum told reporters after Monday's practice in Brighton. "I got my outfit laid out. It's just exciting.
"Time flies," Tatum continued. "It's already my sixth year so I'm just trying to stay in the moment, enjoy it because it's a dream come true that I get to play basketball for a living. So I'm ready to get back out there."
Tatum and the Celtics are on a mission this season. After coming up short in the NBA Finals against the Warriors, there's a "banner or bust" mentality in the Boston locker room.
"We talk about it like every day," Tatum said of last season's disappointing ending. "It's a relief to get out there and just play basketball and have a goal in mind. Obviously, we're trying to get to a championship. It starts with tomorrow, one game at a time."
The first game comes against a familiar foe for the Celtics, who will welcome Joel Embiid, James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers to town to tip off the season Tuesday night. It will be a good early season test for Boston, especially with no Robert Williams to throw out against Embiid as the big man recovers from offseason surgery.
Not having Williams is a big blow to the Boston defense, and will force the Celtics to rely heavily on smaller lineups with Williams out for the first month or so. But with the core of last year's team intact and Malcolm Brogdon added to the mix to provide some scoring punch off the bench, Tatum likes where the team is at heading into the new season.
"I've loved the way we've played our preseason gams and I've loved the way we've practiced. I think everyone is jelling well together. The feel that we have out there, it feels good," he said.
