As Jayson Tatum made Celtics history Saturday against the Nets, the venue felt like a natural spot. While Tatum is in his seventh season in the NBA, his journey started when he was taken third overall by the Celtics in the 2017 NBA Draft at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
Now six-plus years later, Tatum became the youngest Celtics player to hit the 10,000-point milestone. He led the C’s with 32 points in their 124-114 win over the Nets on Saturday as the face of the franchise and the team’s best player. The 25-year-old has come a long way, but he also revealed he had some reservations about joining the C’s on that big night.
“I didn’t even want to come (to Boston) because I didn’t think I was going to play,” Tatum said, via NBC Sports Boston. “They had Gordon (Hayward), (Jaylen Brown) and Isaiah Thomas and (Marcus) Smart. I didn’t think I was good enough to be on that team. So it didn’t even cross my mind I’d close the game out or I’d finish. I was more concerned about getting in the game than starting.”
