Saturday night's home win for the Boston Celtics was another showcase of Jayson Tatum's all-around impact. The six-time All-Star, still finding his rhythm just eight days removed from his season debut, snagged a game-high 14 rebounds for Boston, adding seven assists and a steal to go along with it.
Oh, and Tatum scored 20 points, but that was the least important stat in his box score, at least according Boston's Coach of the Year candidate Joe Mazzulla.
Following the victory over the lowly Washington Wizards, Mazzulla warned the media about judging Tatum's effectiveness and impact by looking at his points per game.
“He wants to win," Mazzulla said. "And he also wants to continue to get better … He's rebounding, he's boxing out, and he's making the right play … and doing all the things that impact winning.”
Joe Mazzulla on how Jayson Tatum shouldn’t be judged by just his points:
“He wants to win. And he also wants to continue to get better…He's rebounding, he's boxing out, and he's making the right play…and doing all the things that impact winning.” pic.twitter.com/QnYta7BQ9c
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) March 15, 2026
Tatum, when fully healthy, could definitely average 35 points per game if he wanted to. That's been in his wheelhouse for years at this point, but it's not a priority for JT, as alluded to by Mazzulla.
By "giving the game what it needs" on a nightly basis (more Mazzulla terminology), Tatum consistently does the stuff on the court that wins games.
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