‘A lot of head-butting’: Jayson Tatum discusses conversations to be had with Celtics about resting down regular season stretch
“I understand [they] might be [here] for [a fan's] birthday or Christmas gift or whatever, and I try to stay ready and play as much and often as I can – and especially games on the road.”
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Jayson Tatum is among a rare breed in the NBA who resists load management during the regular season.
The 27-year-old Celtics star has long maintained his stance that he wants to play in as many games as possible because he knows how many fans come to watch him, whether it be in Boston or on the road.
Coming off a 28-point performance in a 103-91 win against the Heat on Friday, Tatum was asked about the conversations he will inevitably have with the Celtics about resting with 15 regular season games left on the schedule.
“(There will be) a lot of head-butting, for sure,” Tatum said. “… I understand the balance of being fresh and stuff, ready for hopefully a long playoff run. I’ve talked about the value that I’ve put into playing in road games. I’ve been very blessed and fortunate to, (when) I come in arenas, I see a lot of Tatum ‘0’ jerseys and kids with my shoes on. I understand it might be for their birthday or Christmas gift or whatever, and I try to stay ready and play as much and often as I can — and especially games on the road. I know somebody appreciated seeing me out there tonight.”
Tatum has always played as many games as possible since entering the NBA in 2017. In fact, he’s only sat out of 45 total games in his career (including playoffs). Just a couple of those were specified as rest days.
This season, though, Tatum is almost playing even more than he has in the past. He’s averaging 36.6 minutes per game across 61 appearances, good for seventh-most in the league.
Tatum averaged a career-high 36.9 minutes during the 2022-23 season. He could surpass that total this season.
During Boston’s championship-winning season last year, Tatum averaged 35.7 minutes per game. He was asked about resting around the same time last year; he spoke again about the personal importance of taking the court as often as he can after a contest against the lowly Wizards.
“I don’t like to sit out,” Tatum said on March 17, 2024. “I understand if I was injured or whatever. But I’ve said it before, I just love to play the game, especially on the road. So many fans out there with Tatum ‘0’ jerseys who came to see me play. So I kind of take pride in making sure I’m available as much as I can.”
Whether Tatum follows through with any plans to rest over the next month remains to be seen. But the Celtics will surely push for him to sit out at least a couple of times so he can be fresh for the postseason.
The first round of the playoffs is scheduled to start on April 19.
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