Despite his assertion that he ignores outside distractions, Jayson Tatum of the Celtics appeared to remember a preseason ranking following Monday’s victory.
At TD Garden, Boston held off the New York Knicks and prevailed 114-98. Tatum spearheaded the Celtics’ comeback in the third quarter, and head coach Joe Mazzulla was thrilled with the hard-fought victory.
Down the stretch, Derrick White kept making big plays, and even though his output isn’t always reflected in the box score, he has grown to be an important member of the Boston team. Tatum also expressed his displeasure with his teammate’s lack of national recognition following the game, believing the All-Defensive guard should have received it.
According to Souichi Terada of MassLive, Tatum told repo
rters, “D-White’s a helluva basketball player.” That he wasn’t included in the top 100 players is a terrible pity. I never pay attention to (crap) in that way, which is why. Even when he’s not shooting the ball well, D-White makes clutch plays like getting the back tap and other small things. We are really fortunate to have him. Always plays defence and blocks shots.
White did not make ESPN’s ranking of the top 100 players, despite Boston having four players on the list. The 29-year-old expressed gratitude to pundits like JJ Reddick who expressed dissatisfaction with the omission.
Tatum’s support of a teammate is understandable, even though he most likely wouldn’t name the player White should have placed higher on the list—Collin Sexton, who is ranked No. 98, hasn’t played well in the first two months of the season. In a quick follow-up, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps pointed out that White was left off the list.
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As much as Tatum and his teammates stated they don’t pay heed to outside noise and what others say about the club, it appears that they always have the receipts on hand. The Celtics made a significant investment in White, and players have also shown buy-in.
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