BOSTON — Jayson Tatum has been preparing for this moment his whole life, but it took him a long time to feel he was ready. When he takes the floor Monday, he can change how he is defined in the public eye by becoming an NBA champion.
His path to this point has been unique. While many players entering the league focused solely on building their careers, Tatum became a father in his rookie year.
Like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, he was the rare top pick in the draft immediately starting for a team that made the conference finals. These days, he shows the characteristics of a player ready to lead a team to a title. But when he arrived in Boston, he had to grow up fast.
“We were competing for a championship ever since I’ve gotten here,” Tatum said. “I would talk to guys in my draft class and they were losing 15 games in a row. And me, I’m fighting for the one seed and I’m on a veteran team that’s trying to win.”
While his relationship with his young son has become a story unto itself, Tatum said Sunday it took him some time to process becoming a dad during what was already going to be the biggest transition of his life.
“I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason,” Tatum said. “When I found out that I was going to be a dad, I was still in college. I had like a week or two left. I wasn’t ecstatic.”
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Jayson “Deuce” Tatum Jr. was born on Dec. 6, 2017, just over a month into his father’s NBA career. His dad was still trying to figure out how to handle his newfound fame and responsibility, immediately jumping on board a contender that needed him to be ready for the big moment.
His rookie season was capped off by posterizing LeBron James in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, an announcement he wanted to step up in big moments. But that didn’t come overnight.
Tatum said he was “a little selfish” when he learned he would be a father because he was about to chase his dream and didn’t want anything in the way of it. He worried it would affect his draft stock and the perception of him as a 19-year-old entering the league.
“I’d be the first to say I wasn’t, like, super thrilled to find out I was going to be a dad,” he said. “(I) quickly realized that it was, like, the best thing that ever could have happened to me. There’s nothing better than being a dad.”
Between his mother making sure he saved his NBA salary and having a baby to take care of, it helped him not get caught up in the lifestyle of excess.
“I know that having Deuce at that age grounded me,” Tatum said. “Because whatever decision I wanted to make, I had to make sure that he was taken care of.”
Tatum said he would pass up on trips with his friends because it was his weekend with his son. He stayed in on nights when everyone else was out partying so he could put Deuce to bed.
“It has taught me a sense of responsibility, as well as just making the right decisions,” he said.
Making the right decision has also been one of his and the team’s mantras all season.
The system is designed for Tatum and his teammates to constantly choose between a few options. Walk through the correct door and it will open up an easy shot for someone else.
For years, that meant hunting his own best shot. He wanted to be more of a playmaker, but he didn’t have the passing vision, handle or tempo to do it well yet. When Kyrie Irving left the Celtics, Tatum finally had the ball in his hands. Even if he wasn’t ready for it, just like with his son, he had to quickly learn how to handle responsibility. That came with appreciating he was becoming a leader
“When you come into the NBA, you just think every organization, every franchise is the same. That couldn’t be any further from the truth,” Tatum said. “I’ve been fortunate to be a part of something that is special, that has had some of the greatest players to ever play wear this uniform.”
After an embarrassing Game 4 to the Mavericks, Game 5 on Monday presents another opportunity for Tatum with the Celtics up 3-1 in the series. While the Celtics don’t want to be compared to teams of the past, Game 4 felt like the kind of letdown that has held prior versions of the Tatum and Jaylen Brown-led Celtics back.
Tatum is a different player now, even compared to last season. He built his stardom with a lethal stepback 3, but he’s shooting 29 percent from deep this postseason.
This is his first playoff without a 40-point game since 2020, when he first became the team’s primary scorer after Irving’s departure. There hasn’t been the signature performance from Tatum that has defined each of his deep yet unsuccessful playoff runs up to now.
Part of the reason Tatum hasn’t had one of those 40-point games is that it’s not quite his role anymore. He takes on more responsibility to make the team run smoothly, playing as a pass-first player most of the night for the first time in his career.
Even though his game has changed much over the years, he’ll undoubtedly go to his signature shot in an important moment. Tatum’s favorite spot for his stepback 3 is the left elbow.
It’s right next to Deuce’s usual seat at TD Garden.
Tatum and the Celtics are in a position to earn a title. He’s hoping to show his son the culmination of everything he’s learned over the past seven years.
“Knowing that, I have to be the best version of myself,” Tatum said. “I have to make the right decisions because he’s always watching.”
(Photo of Jayson and Deuce Tatum: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
