It seems as though Jayson Tatum is approaching the 2024-2025 season with a vengeance. After a forgettable Olympics campaign, the narrative surrounding the Celtics star is to silence his naysayers. However, Frank Isola doesn’t believe that Tatum needs to have a chip on his shoulder. Rather, the superstar should reflect on the positive takeaways from the past few months.
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On SiriusXM NBA Radio, Isola spoke about Tatum’s mindset for the 2024-2025 season. The sportswriter claimed that there was not too much for JT to worry about. Even though the 26-year-old might seem embarrassed for not playing in two whole games during the 2024 Summer Games, Isola believes that winning a gold medal helped him in the “grand scheme of things”.
“He’s accomplished a lot already. I think he looks at it this way. I really think that he feels like he has to kind of play this role up a little bit, that he’s somehow incredibly disappointed. Okay, he did not play in two games. I get kind of the, ‘embarrassment’ would be the right word? But in the grand scheme of things, he was on an Olympic team that won the gold medal,” the analyst said.
Apart from shedding light on Tatum’s second Olympic gold medal, the pundit also listed a few more achievements–an NBA title, the largest contract in NBA history, and a cover appearance on NBA 2K25-that the five-time All-Star accomplished over the past few months.
“He’s coming off a championship. Forget being on the cover of NBA 2K. Did you see the contract he signed? Life is good for Jayson Tatum. He won a championship in June, a gold medal in August. And in between that, he signed a gigantic contract,” Isola concluded.
"He's accomplished a lot already."@TheFrankIsola on Jayson Tatum's mindset pic.twitter.com/RUI0s4M08n
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) September 28, 2024
Despite having a five-month period that a majority of players would kill for, Tatum seems to have an underdog mindset. From what his actions from the media day and training camp suggest, the four-time All-NBA player does seem to need to prove his doubters wrong.
Tatum doesn’t believe we have seen the best version of him
Tatum made a bold statement during the media day. Despite acknowledging his stacked trophy cabinet, the Duke alum revealed that there was scope for improvements in his game. Further, he also claimed that the basketball world had yet to see the best version of him.
“As accomplished as I am, I just always feel like, overall I could still get better… You haven’t seen the best version of Jayson Tatum,” JT said.
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JT has also been trolled on social media for having a mechanical issue in his jump shot. Hence, he has made it a point to eliminate this issue and have a free-flowing shooting form. To make this adjustment, the 6ft 8 forward has been hitting the gym as early as 6 AM.
[Dalzell] Jayson Tatum has been working on fixing a mechanical issue with his shot (and arriving at the gym at 6am), per ESPN.
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As Isola rightly mentioned, Tatum need not be disappointed by the offseason that he’s had. However, he will benefit by playing with a chip on his shoulder. Apart from the fact that he could help Joe Mazzulla’s boys retain their championship, the eighth-year player could also improve his legacy by finally winning the coveted MVP award.
