Jayson Tatum has said he believes the current Boston Celtics roster is capable of winning an NBA championship next season under coach Ime Udoka.
When asked if he feels his team as currently constructed can win an NBA title, he responded: “What kind of competitor would I be if I said no?” Tatum told NBC Sports Boston’s Tom Giles.
“I always believe in myself and believe in my teammates. “Obviously we got close, got to Game 6 and we didn’t make it happen, so this offseason, everything is just about getting back to that point and getting over the hump.
“Obviously we added two great pieces that I feel make us a lot better and complement our team extremely well.”
.@jaytatum0 believes the Celtics ready to win it all this season after their big offseason 👀 pic.twitter.com/NFe1YdL39T
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) August 4, 2022
In the same interview, Tatum also spoke about his relationship with co-star Jaylen Brown who has reportedly been mentioned in a potential trade package for Boston to acquire Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets.
“We just try to stay in the moment, it’s not necessarily about what our legacy would look like if we did this, that and the third. Just trying to be the best versions of ourselves, the best players we can be, and compete at the highest level.
“I think we really took those next steps last season,” Tatum said. “We’d be the first to tell you that we’ve got more to do, more to accomplish. And we’re eager to do so.
“We’re growing together,” Tatum added. “Despite all the people that said we couldn’t play together, we always believed that we could.”
The 24-year-old can sign a record-breaking $298m extension in 2024 and will become supermax eligible if he earns All-NBA honours again in the 2022-23 season.
