BOSTON — Jayson Tatum has taken on leadership for the Boston Celtics, a transition highlighted at Media Day Monday. The move follows the Celtics' trade of Jaylen Brown, signaling a clear shift in the team's direction and focusing on Tatum.
In his seventh season, Tatum told reporters he feels “very comfortable” with the role. Tatum added that leadership “is about a lot of different things” and “looks different from person to person.”
Tatum showed apprehension when asked directly if the Celtics were “his team.” He made an audible irritation noise before responding. Tatum said, “I’m not going to [say that]. It’s not a simple thing [like] this is my team.”
Tatum emphasized the team's collective nature. He explained, “I understand the roles that we all play on this team. Everybody’s role is different, and that’s what makes up a team … So, it’s not just saying it’s my team.” He concluded he has “14 other teammates that I’m going to lean on, and we all need each other.”
Despite Tatum's reluctance, the Celtics organization has turned the team over to him. This marks a change for Boston basketball, moving past the era where Tatum shared top billing with Brown.
Tatum has been described as an All-NBA talent. He entered the NBA in 2017 and has consistently performed at a high level. His on-court production is not in question.
However, Tatum has not always displayed leadership qualities. Throughout his Celtics career, he has often played a follow-the-leader role. He benefited from the presence of vocal leaders such as Marcus Smart, Al Horford and Jaylen Brown.
Now, with those leadership figures gone, Tatum faces the challenge of being the primary leader. The organization's perspective is he must now look in the mirror for that leadership presence.
Comparisons have been drawn between Tatum and players like Paul Pierce or Kevin Durant. He is seen as lacking the outward competitive fire that Brown often displayed. He has not yet shown the leadership ability of figures like Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Isiah Thomas, Kobe Bryant or Steph Curry to push teammates.
Tatum’s personality is characterized as easy-going, with a focus that is too self-fixating for an overt leadership role. He tends to be a lead-by-example player. This style relies on teammates observing his accountability cues rather than him enforcing an explicit standard, as seen with Tom Brady.
This approach differs from the tone-setting and culture-driving presence that some championship teams require. For instance, Paul Pierce, while the top scoring option, needed Kevin Garnett to instill the fiery culture that propelled the Celtics to two NBA Finals appearances and one championship. Garnett said he believed the Celtics would regret breaking up the duo of Tatum and Brown.
