NBA Hoops

Jayson Tatum is playing both angry and under control

Jayson Tatum is playing both angry and under control

Jayson Tatum is angry.

He knows the Celtics should have won the championship after nearly jumping out to a 3-1 series lead in the Finals. He knows he didn’t play his best when it mattered most. He knows he’s capable of more than what he showed against the Warriors.

It’s easy to tell how much last year is still fueling him as he dominates at an MVP level this season. He’s playing with more emotion, more conviction and more purpose than ever before. Every game, he acts as though the opponent wronged him in some way and he needs to show them who’s boss.

The most important and impressive part, though, is that, as angry as Tatum is playing, he’s also playing under control. He’s not trying to do too much and is letting the game come to him while also taking it over. That’s extremely difficult to do, and it shouldn’t be taken for granted.

It can be easy in sports to get so wrapped up in redemption that you forget how important composure is toward reaching that goal. Tatum has mastered that balance so far this season and is channeling his frustration in the right way.

It started in game one, when he openly admitted how much last year’s Finals loss stung and stuck with him. While it’s somewhat implied that it pained him, hearing him say it out loud was a reminder of how much he cares about his craft. He didn’t always show it early in his career, but it was always there. It took heartbreak to bring it to the forefront.

“Everywhere I went, somebody mentions, ‘good job in the Finals. Next year. You guys did well,’” Tatum said. “They mean it in a good way, but it’s just a reminder that we lost … It’s Opening Night, one team is getting a ring and we’re not — that kept me up last night.”

Tatum’s childhood babysitter, Bradley Beal, told Heavy Sports’ Steve Bulpett that Tatum “definitely took it to heart.”

“I know when we did talk about it, he was very frustrated,” Beal told Bulpett. “It’s just motivation now. It’s motivation for him to come out and do what he’s been doing for these first games.”

Beal told Bulpett that Tatum genuinely believes he’s the best player on the floor in every game he plays. He improves his skill set every offseason, but Beal has noticed another area of improvement as well this year.

“He’s always going to continue to expand. But it’s his mentality,” Beal told Bulpett. “As you can see, his mental approach and his aggression in the game is way different this…

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