As the Celtics try to chase an NBA championship, Jayson Tatum isn’t looking to take any season for granted.
The Boston Celtics have made the playoffs in nine straight seasons, with star Jayson Tatum being on the team for six of them. Yet, the Celtics came up short in each of those postseason appearances and haven’t won a title in over a decade.
Ahead of the 2023-24 season, Tatum and company will have another chance to raise a championship banner in Boston. In the wake of a busy offseason, the Celtics now employ former All-Stars Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis to go along with their star duo of Tatum and Jaylen Brown. With this talented roster, the Green Team is primed to compete for a ring, and Tatum isn’t taking that for granted, per NBA insider Chris Haynes.
“You’re not always going to be on a team that has a realistic shot,” Tatum said. “You can’t come in with the mindset that [this championship window is] going to last forever and we have so much time … No, we need to approach every season like this is the year we have to make it happen.”
Tatum has never missed the playoffs in his six-year career. And in three of the last four seasons, he’s been to the Eastern Conference Finals, with the C’s actually making it to the Finals in 2022. Evidently, Boston has had its championship window open for most of his time in the NBA.
However, as he said, that doesn’t mean he can take his foot off the gas. The Celtics are going all in on their current roster, as they’re currently one of the most expensive teams in the league. If they can’t get it done soon, there might not be enough money to keep the team together for the long run.
So, while it’s not quite do-or-die for the C’s, the pressure is on in Beantown.
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