NBA Coach Blasts Jayson Tatum: "I Don't Think He Cares About Winning Now..."

via AP

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Jayson Tatum is one of the best young talents in the league, and his shot creation and scoring ability have definitely been praised many times by others. Tatum is currently having a solid season on an individual level, averaging 25.7 PPG and 8.4 RPG.

Despite the numbers that Jayson Tatum is currently putting up, the Boston Celtics are only 8th in the Eastern Conference, and many have criticized the team for being inconsistent.

Some believe that Jayson Tatum is at least partly to blame for the Celtics' problems. In a recent article by Tim Bontemps of ESPN, an Eastern Conference executive was quoted as saying that Tatum doesn't care "about winning now" and wants to win "on his terms".

"Jayson Tatum is about Jayson Tatum," an Eastern Conference assistant coach said. "I don't think he cares about winning now, and if he does, it is on his terms.

"He doesn't want to score 15 and win. He wants to score 39 and win."

The Boston Celtics have a good core to build around, but there's no question that they need to figure some things out in order to get more wins and be a good playoff team. Some of what has been suggested is either trading for another star, or having Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown learn how to put their teammates in better positions to succeed.

"They probably need another guy," the Eastern Conference scout said. "I love Al Horford, but he's getting older. And I love Smart. But once you get past Brown and Tatum -- and especially past [Horford and Smart] -- every guy is a question mark for me.

"They're down to two legitimate stars, [and] you normally need three [to win]."

"I would put it simply: Jayson and Jaylen's ability to make other players better [is crucial]," a Western Conference scout said, when asked for what the key will be for Boston to return to championship contention. "If they can't get that third guy, they have to make other players better, and they haven't shown the ability to do that yet."

Whichever path the Celtics take, returning to championship contention won't be easy. In the meantime, they're focused on trying to grow along the way.

There is no doubt that either of those things happening would improve the Celtics' chances of success. To be fair to the Celtics though, they have won their last 3 games, and are still acclimating to a new coach in Ime Udoka.

It remains to be seen if the Boston Celtics will end up making a trade, or staying put. Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons was rumored to want to join the Celtics, though a trade is unlikely to happen unless the team ends up giving up Jaylen Brown. Regardless, Celtics fans will hope that their team continues to win, no matter the way it happens.