Watch: Jayson Tatum gives insightful answer to former top-3 pick who asked for advice
"There's going to be some times that aren't so great. It's okay to be upset because that means you care, right?"
Jayson Tatum just turned 26 years old last month, but he’s already a grizzled veteran by NBA standards.
This is his seventh NBA season. The average NBA career is 4.5 years.
Still, Tatum was a little surprised to see a former top-3 pick drop into his press conference at NBA Finals Media Day to ask for advice.
Jabari Smith, who was the No. 3 pick in the NBA draft two years ago, has had moderate success in the NBA. He averaged 13.7 points and 8.1 rebounds last season for Houston, which finished 41-41 for the second straight season. He was also a second-team all-rookie selection in 2023.
But he still hasn’t quite reached the heights he dreams of getting to, so he came to TD Garden to present a few questions to Tatum.
“I feel like this league is a lot of expectations,” Smith asked. “You know what I’m saying? I’m going to try to shift it a little bit. What would you say to somebody going into their third year who hasn’t lived up to the expectation that has been set on him? What would you say to somebody going into that?”
“I’ve been in that situation,” Tatum said. “Everybody else in the world at your age at 21 is probably still in school, trying to figure out what they want to do in life. We come into the league at such a young age, and they want us to be perfect right away. It’s just part of growing up.”
“You’re still growing up. I’m still growing up,” he added. “It’s a process, right? Nothing was accomplished overnight. I think you’ll find value in tough times, the ups and downs of just what life brings you.”
Tatum paused, saying that he sounded like an old person, which drew laughs.
“In the sense of your career, I would say, man, enjoy it,” Tatum said. “There’s going to be some great times. There’s going to be some times that aren’t so great. It’s okay to be upset because that means you care, right? You want to be great. People believe that you can. They just try to rush the process.”
Tatum is familiar with Smith’s coaches, since former Celtics coach Ime Udoka is now the Rockets head coach and brought several ex-Celtics assistants with him to Houston.
Tatum said he believes Smith is in good hands.
“It takes however long it takes. But as long as you work hard, you believe, you got the right support system. Obviously, you do down in Houston. I know all those guys, coaches. Everything will take care of itself, how it’s supposed to.”
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