With Jayson Tatum Averaging the Second-Most Minutes Per Game, Joe Mazzulla Addresses Celtics Star's Workload

It's in the Celtics' best interest to reduce Jayson Tatum's minutes in their final 31 games.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Jayson Tatum ranks second in minutes per game this season, averaging 37.5 per contest. He's logged over 40 in four of the last six games that he's played.

Three of those tilts went to overtime, resulting in the Celtics star staying on the floor a season-high 48:07 against the Warriors, 43:07 vs. the Knicks, and 47:20 two nights later in Saturday's 125-121 win over the Lakers.

So, when asked about keeping Tatum's minutes down, as he expressed during his pregame media availability on Saturday, before Boston again participated in a matchup requiring a fifth frame, Joe Mazzulla reiterated on Tuesday: "Don't play overtime games."

After the toll from being the best player on the team that engineered perhaps the most impressive in-season turnaround in NBA history impacted Tatum in the Finals, fatigue, of course, his teammates felt too, Mazzulla offered the following about Tatum's heavy workload more than halfway through the season.

"Maybe when you go through something, and then you learn how to navigate that, you're better at it when you come back."

Expounding on what Mazzulla, who along with the Celtics' coaching staff will coach Team Giannis in the All-Star Game, and Tatum have learned from navigating this, the former conveyed:

"I think his natural approach to how do you sustain a level of energy and a level of healthiness throughout the entire season. And so, I trust how he takes care of his body. I trust the people around him, and I trust everything that he does.

And will there be moments that we have to cut his minutes down? Yes, absolutely. I'm not here in favor of playing guys until they can't play anymore. At the same time, I trust his work ethic, and I trust the people around him to think that he took what he learned from the Finals and was able to apply that in his summer workouts, in his preseason workouts, and in his daily approach to how he takes care of himself."

After the grueling nature of the bubble in Orlando in 2020, a truncated offseason, another NBA campaign, playing in the Olympics, and then last season's run to the Finals, it would be wise to shave some minutes off his season average (37.5) for Boston's remaining 31 games.

Further Reading

Marcus Smart Provides Update on Ankle Injury; Says There's no Target Date for His Return

1:1 with Paul Pierce on What the Celtics-Lakers Rivalry Means to Him; Jayson Tatum's Growth, His Evaluation of Boston's Season, and More

Maine Celtics Officially Sign Nine-Year NBA Veteran Guard; Former First Round Draft Pick

Limited Role Has Payton Pritchard Questioning Future with Celtics Ahead of Trade Deadline

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Lakers: The Call That Never Came Helps Boston Rally to Sweep LA