Jayson Tatum Reveals What He Told Celtics in Players-Only Meeting Before Season

For the Celtics to maximize having the best top six in the NBA, sacrifice is required.

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Before the start of the 2023-24 regular season, the Boston Celtics' six best players — Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, and Al Horford — met to talk about the fact that not all of them will be able to start and close games together.

Tatum, who initiated this conference, a reflection of his growth as a leader, recently opened up about what he told his teammates during that meeting.

"I wanted us to get in the room and talk about it," Tatum told ESPN. "We all are human and have feelings, and I opened the floor and basically said, 'There's six of us. Only five can play at one time. One of us is not going to finish the game all the time.

"Whether it's fair or not, me and JB are probably going to always start, and always finish the game. But we have to be held to a different standard and be able to be coached differently. Whether it's KP and Al, one of you guys may not finish a game, and you have to be OK with that."

Tatum and the Celtics are fresh off a 113-96 loss to the Orlando Magic on Friday and will take on Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday at TD Garden.

Further Reading

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Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis Discuss Their Quickly Cultivated Chemistry: 'An Automatic Connection'

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Kristaps Porzingis Explains Why Celtics Have NBA's Best Clutch Record

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