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‘One of his favorite players’: Jayson Tatum was excited Celtics signed Joe Johnson
"It’s a guy they all looked up to at some point."
It’s unclear how long Joe Johnson will be with the Celtics after signing a 10-day contract on Wednesday, but Jayson Tatum seems excited to have him.
According to Celtics coach Ime Udoka, Tatum smiled when he heard the Celtics acquired the 40-year-old former All-Star.
“[Johnson] was one of his favorite players coming up,” Udoka told reporters prior to the Celtics’ game against the Cavaliers on Wednesday. “Unique situation, obviously, since he was drafted here 20 years ago, and still being able to do what he’s doing. But just talking to him, and some of the other coaches, it’s that veteran savvy presence. What he’s talking about is different than talking to some young guys. That part is unique, needed at times for us.”
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“It’s a guy they all looked up to at some point,” Udoka added.
The last 24 hours have been eventful for Johnson. He told reporters he took his daughter out to eat for her birthday when his agent called and asked if he could be ready to head to Boston. Less than an hour later, the agent called back and asked Johnson if he could be on a flight in roughly three hours.
“So, I’m here,” Johnson said.
Johnson said this will be a special moment for his 14-year-old son, who recently asked what he was doing while Johnson played.
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“You was in the back playing in the playroom,” Johnson told him. “You wasn’t sitting out there watching the game.”
“He kind of kicked himself in the butt about that because he was like ‘Man, I could’ve been out there on the court. I could have been getting autographs, pictures,'” Johnson told reporters. “So that’s coming back to haunt him now, you know what I mean? So hopefully I get a chance to get him out here and he can get some pictures or something.”
Johnson was hesitant to say he would provide leadership for Tatum and Jaylen Brown — “I’m only just trying to help them out as much as I can” — but he played in a pick-up game with Brown this summer and had a chance to chat with Tatum prior to Wednesday’s game.
The pick-up games have kept Johnson young — he said he’s in his best shape currently of the past 5-8 years due to a good pick-up run, as well as yoga and stretching.
“Just paying attention to the small details, you know; if you’ve got foot injuries, ankle injuries, knee problems, try to pay close attention to them and nurture those injuries, try to get healthy,” Johnson said. “That’s pretty much what I’ve been doing.”
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The full-circle nature of Johnson’s signing isn’t lost on him — a little more than 20 years ago, the Celtics took Johnson with the 10th pick in the draft. They dealt him midway through his rookie season to the Suns.
Udoka suggested Johnson might not see much playing time, comparing Johnson’s role to that of two-way player Brodric Thomas, who played a little bit before he too tested positive.
“You don’t want to say insurance policy but in case of more COVID cases or things happening on the court, injury or foul trouble, that’s what they’re here for,” Udoka said.
Johnson, however, just sounded excited to be back in the league.
“I could probably walk away from the game, but I love it so much, man,” he said. “Like I said, my son keeps me going, and me and him have so many battles — one-on-one battles, shooting games, all those type of things. So I’ve always got things to fuel me and keep me motivated. It’s just preparation meet opportunity at this point.”
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