Boston Celtics fans went into meltdown when pictures emerged that showed Jayson Tatum and Kevin Durant working out together in Los Angeles.
For most fans, it felt like Tatum was disrespecting Jaylen Brown by working out with the player the Celtics have been heavily linked to trading for – a trade that would see Brown heading to the Brooklyn Nets.
However, in an August 21 interview with Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks, Tatum moved to set the record straight, explaining that he and Durant are friends, and the opportunity to work out with an All-Time great doesn’t come around very often.
Tatum sets the record straight 👀
Jayson explains viral workout picture with KD during live interview with Taylor Rooks in B/R app
“They exaggerate everything I do. I’ve known KD since I was in high school – we were on the USA Team together, and we spent five weeks together last year from Vegas to Tokyo where we won a gold medal. We have a bond – that’s my brother. And I’m not too proud to admit that KD is one of the best players – so if one of the best players wants to work out with you, and I could learn a few things, why would I say no? If you worry about what other people think and are going to say, you’ll drive yourself crazy. And it’s crazy that I can’t work out with somebody,” Tatum explained.
Still, you would hope that Tatum spoke to Brown before heading off to train with Durant – just to let his teammate know that there may be some online discussion if pictures ever made their way into the public domain – which of course, they did.
Jalen Rose Warns Tatum About Cost of Leadership
If Tatum didn’t inform Brown before working out with Durant, there was clearly a risk of upsetting his teammate – especially in the current moment where Brown can’t escape his name being linked in trade rumors.
When speaking on an August 16 episode of Jalen & Jacoby, Jalen Rose noted how Tatum’s actions were innocent, but that he did need to factor his role as a lockerroom leader into his decision-making process.
“It’s great to see two of the best players in the game working out together, and Tatum’s ascension this season was outstanding. But the one thing you have to be conscious of is the other 14 guys on the team. You have to think about what is Jaylen Brown going to say if he sees me working out with KD, knowing that the trade scenario is on the table.
A lot of times, it’s better to just step back, and allow the multimedia scenario to play its course. Of course, you go to the Point God’s documentary, and you might not expect the media to ask you about it (the trade rumors), but they do ask you about it. Now is the time to keep the noise down – say less,” Rose said.
Understandably, Tatum appears to believe that he was simply working out with a friend of his, and that part and parcel of being the best player on the Celtics is increased media scrutiny – so there’s certainly a fine line to walk for the budding superstar.
Tatum Reveals Playing Through Injury
If you ignore Tatum’s NBA Finals series against the Golden State Warriors, you would be hard pressed to say he didn’t excel throughout the post-season. Unfortunately, Tatum injured his shoulder against the Miami Heat and looked limited down the final stretch of Boston’s playoff run.
However, as it turns out, Tatum’s shoulder wasn’t the only injury he was dealing with – as the St. Louis native has revealed that for the final two months of the NBA season, he was dealing with a ‘non-displaced fracture’ in his wrist.
“I played with somewhat of a fracture for two months” 🤯
Jayson Tatum opens up about playing through an undisclosed injury during the playoffs in live interview with Taylor Rooks in B/R app
“I had a non-displaced fracture in my wrist. It was small, but it was a non-displaced chip – I had chipped the bone, but it didn’t leave the surface. It showed the bone had grown over and it had healed, but it would still hurt because I kept getting hit and falling on it. So, I guess I played with somewhat of a fracture for two months, and then in the playoffs, there was a play against Milwaukee in game three – I dunked it, Giannis (Antetokounmpo) chased me down and I fell into the crowd and that was the most painful it’s been since the day that I hurt it…After each game, I had to wear a brace, but I would take it back off before the cameras saw me,” Tatum told Rooks during the August 21 interview.
With that wrist injury in mind, Tatum’s post-season performance becomes increasingly impressive, and now, Celtics fans should be excited to see what a healthy Tatum can do once the new season gets underway in October.
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Jayson Tatum Drops Truth Bomb After Working Out With Kevin Durant