Jayson Tatum has faced plenty of tough defenders throughout his NBA career. As the best player on one of the best teams in the league, Tatum often deals with harsher defensive coverage than his teammates. From bruising physicality to relentless full-court pressure and constant trash talk, Tatum has faced just about everything imaginable on an NBA court.
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But during one particular game, he encountered something he never expected: being tickled by Patrick Beverley. All bets are off when the goal is to throw someone off their game. While the strategy might’ve been strange, it suits Beverley.
The 36-year-old prides himself on being a pest. He once said, “I like to be the guy that hits people instead of getting hit.” Usually, Beverley is a scrappy defender known for his no-nonsense game. But during one of his matchups against Tatum, he had to resort to something unusual. The Celtics superstar, who believes in keeping his composure at all times, found the tactic bizarre but surprisingly effective.
On the Kelce brothers’ New Heights podcast, he said, “I remember one time playing against Patrick Beverley when he was with the Lakers…They was waiting to take the ball out of bounds, and he like, started tickling me. I smacked his hands. He was like, ‘You got stronger.’”
Although it wasn’t the staple Pat Bev relentless defensive style, it got the job done because it irritated JT.
Tatum said that defenders always look for an opportunity to get under players’ skin. He has faced several of those antics himself.
He said, “[Players] pull your sock down, untuck your jersey at the free throw line, I wear an armband, people pull by armband down to my hand all the time.” The 27-year-old understands that it’s all strategy at the end of the day, and his job is not to get bothered by it.
Patrick Beverley liked guarding Jayson Tatum
During a conversation with Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports, Beverley said that he enjoyed guarding Tatum. When asked why he enjoyed that particular matchup, Beverley said that he found some weakness in his game, which put him at an advantage.
He said, “I’m small. So, my size disrupts them…Guys who play with a lot of rhythm, I’m able to speed them up a lot, able to get them out of their rhythm. So, I mean, that’s really what it is.” Despite the level of competition that’s been between them, both of them have a lot of respect for one another.
When Tatum was labeled as “soft” by Brandon Jennings, Beverley came to his defense.
He said, “Just because he’s not yelling and you can see his tattoos, don’t mean he’s soft. I’m saying…he’s skilled as f*ck. I think he’s talented as f*ck. He has a ton of size, he’s won a championship.” Despite playing for two of the Celtics’ fiercest rivals, Beverley’s respect for Jayson Tatum speaks volumes.
