Jayson Tatum’s parents thrilled he landed with Celtics

[bobheckler]

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/celtics/2017/06/bulpett_jayson_tatum_s_parents_thrilled_he_landed_with_celtics



Bulpett: Jayson Tatum’s parents thrilled he landed with Celtics



Steve Bulpett


Friday, June 23, 2017






Credit: John Wilcox
Jayson Tatum, center, was flanked by Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, left, and basketball boss Danny Ainge today.




NEW YORK -- Brandy Cole may have been wearing a blue dress at the NBA draft, but it is more truthful to say she was dressed in pride.

The holder of three degrees, she was not given to hyperbole when she described her feelings on the evening her son Jayson Tatum was selected by the Celtics at No. 3.

“It’s like probably the most joy, after having him, that I’ve ever felt,” Cole said. “You know, how many people can say they actually witnessed their kid’s dream come true? And I witnessed mine when he was 19. That’s just incredible.”

Jayson has called himself “the biggest mama’s boy ever,” and it looks like he made a very good decision.

Cole was a single mom less than a year out of high school when she had Jayson. His dad, Justin Tatum, became more involved in his son’s life after returning from playing basketball overseas when Jayson was in grade school.

Brandy was the earliest architect, leading by example and by dictate.

“I’ve wanted to get him drafted for so long, because it’s what he wanted,” he said. “He’s always wanted to go to the NBA. He told me that ever since he was 3. Had he wanted to be an astronaut, I’d have taken him to space camp. But we made the necessary steps and did the things we needed to do to prepare him for today, and here we are.”

“Here” was Brooklyn last night. And then it’s Waltham today for Jayson’s introductory press conference at the Celtic practice facility. Cole was looking forward to it all, strong in the belief her son landed in the right place.

“I love it,” she said of the Celts’ decision. “It’s just a great opportunity for him. Everyone that I’ve spoken to, whether it’s retired [NBA] veterans, whether it’s young players, everyone just talks about what a great program it is, what a great coach Brad Stevens is, and, you know, the fans are amazing. So, I mean, he’s really blessed. And then it’s a winning franchise.

“A lot of times people talk about how rookies underestimate the transition and how hard it can be from winning your whole life to losing [with a bad team], but that’s not the case here. I think that’s an added benefit for him, as well, so we’re excited.”

When it was mentioned that Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is a fan of Jayson’s new coach, Cole said, “And my mom loves coach Stevens, too, so we’re very happy.”

Justin Tatum is happy with his son’s place of employment, as well.

“It couldn’t be a better situation for Jayson to come and excel right away and hopefully help Boston with scoring and toughness and just learning under coach Stevens,” said the elder Tatum, wearing a Celtics hat like the one Jayson was given as he walked onto the stage to shake hands with commissioner Adam Silver. “That’s probably one of the best things as a coach myself. I love the way coach Stevens coaches and the way he teaches his players, so I’m just ecstatic.

“When I would watch his teams, you could see the right positions he had his players in and how they fought and never let down, even though they were down to Chicago and Washington. I think it’s the best situation for Jayson. You know, most rookies don’t get a chance to come in and go to a playoff team, especially a No. 1 seed in the East. So it’s great for us.”

Justin has seen Jayson from more than just a father’s view, having to coach against him when he took the job at Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis. It actually showed character that Jayson didn’t transfer, staying at Chaminade College Prep because he didn’t want to leave his teammates and he was doing well academically.

“I’m his dad. I’m probably just as happy as he is, because that was an accomplishment he always wanted,” said Justin. “A lot of kids want it but never work for it. He worked for it.

“I take a lot of pride, because I’m the one that put the ball in his hands. I’m the one that chewed his butt out and got the grit for the basketball court and got him prepared for what he’s about to go into today. I never took a day off on being tough on him to let him know, hey, you have to be able to do it this way. Then he started to train himself on his own and got the mentality like that.”

Accordingly, Justin Tatum thinks his son has a chance to contribute right away.

“He’s ready from Day 1,” he said. “It’s the mental part. Some guys come in and they’re so excited about being drafted and don’t know really what it takes. He is already there mentally and knows that he has to challenge himself more. It’s going to show.

“The opportunity is there, and I think it’s there for somebody as versatile as he is and what the NBA is transitioning to now. Jayson has the scoring ability to hopefully keep himself on the floor and make sure he plays on both ends.”

There is one way father and son differed. While Jayson was rooting for the Lakers because of his fondness for Kobe Bryant, Justin was a Celtic fan.

“I love Boston, I mean, especially when they picked up the Big Three -- the latest Big Three with KG and Paul [Pierce],” he said. “But I’m related to Jo Jo White, too, and he played for them back in the day. We’re related through cousins, so I’ve been a Boston fan for the longest time.”

All parts of the family will now get learn even more about that which is known as Celtic Pride -- though Brandy Cole seemed to have the larger concept down pretty well Thursday night.



bob
MY NOTE:  Jayson's father, Justin, is a High School basketball coach.  I love coach's kids!  They are eminently coachable and usually have very high BBIQs.  Also, what his father said about his mentality is something that I noticed as a difference between Tatum and Fultz.  

Fultz always talked about how he always wanted to be the #1 pick and how great it would be to be the #1 pick.  That was his goal, a goal he no doubt worked very hard at, but it was a goal.  Tatum talks about how he has so much to learn because he's only 19 and he is happy to learn the new stuff and all.  Destination vs Process.  We know that Brad is all about the process and focusing on the details that make the process better and more efficient.  I'm sure this endeared Tatum to him, he thinks like him.  If there is one thing that worries me about Tatum it's his weight.  206#, which is what he said was his weight, so I'm assuming it's accurate, on a 6'8" frame is not very much at all.  Sturdier than Brandon Ingram who, at 6'9" 195#, is an inch taller and 9# lighter, but still a toothpick.  RJ Hunter was 6'6",195# and he struggled not to get bounced off his cuts.


.

[red16russ11]

Can't wait to see the kid play. I like Duke players in general, because I know they don't let dummies in there in the first place, and Coach K is one of the best

[RosalieTCeltics]

This pick makes me happy. This is a quality kid, not afraid to admit he needs to learn, and ready to start working at it right away. He will be a success, I predict.
Jackson on the other hand wants to show the three teams who did not pick him what they missed. Well, maybe if he made himself accessible to those three teams things may have been different for him???? I know they all know, basketball wise, what he can do but he showed alot of his character by doing what he did to Ainge, but lashing out after the draft.

I am totally on board with this pick. I look forward to watching the two young players get on the floor in a couple of weeks and get the ball rolling on 2017-18 season

[fierce]

That's why I really didn't like Josh Jackson's decision not to workout for the Celtics.

Josh Jackson would rather go to a losing situation as long as he's going to be the man.

Looks like he's a player who prefers personal glory over team success.

[ginoc]

I really do appreciate that Tatum wants to do what he can to be a winner. He's much more the type of player I pay money to see...Jackson wants the money. Ultimately it's a business.  

They really can have both.

..Great, love that his dad is a coach, AND he's related to JoJo! Awesome!

[beat]

I really do appreciate that Tatum wants to do what he can to be a winner. He's much more the type of player I pay money to see...Jackson wants the money. Ultimately it's a business.  

They really can have both.

..Great, love that his dad is a coach, AND he's related to JoJo! Awesome!

And you don't hear anything else about his dad either.....unlike the mouth on the left coast

beat

[red16russ11]

The more I find out about this kid, the more I like him. Which brings me to what I always say, THEY have way more info than we do, and it's THEIR pick and THEIR money. I'm just a fan, so I'll root and cheer for whoever is on the team.....until their time is up. I feel that way about Crowder and AB right now

[RosalieTCeltics]

They really do look into more than we will ever know. I heard a story about Stevens just standing infront of the television waiting for them to announce the pick. After they did he was overjoyed, they got who they wanted. The story about Fultz is that Stevens talked to the guidance councilor and questioned him on how he would handle possibly sitting alot or taking instruction. Whatever the counselor told him, he had something
in his head that made him think that this might not be a good choice for the Celtics. This is big money you are talking about so I am sure alot of thought goes in to the decision

[red16russ11]

They really do look into more than we will ever know. I heard a story about Stevens just standing infront of the television waiting for them to announce the pick. After they did he was overjoyed, they got who they wanted.  The story about Fultz is that Stevens talked to the guidance councilor and questioned him on how he would handle possibly sitting alot or taking instruction. Whatever the counselor told him, he had something
in his head that made him think that this might not be a good choice for the Celtics. This is big money you are talking about so I am sure alot of thought goes in to the decision

Agree. Both Futlz and Jackson wanted to go to situations where they could play or start right away. Hope Jackson realizes he's on a team with Devin Booker, and he cannot be #1. Fultz may also have to defer to Embiid. Not sure he has the makeup for that.
Danny knows what the hell he's doing.

[Rmbone]

They really do look into more than we will ever know. I heard a story about Stevens just standing infront of the television waiting for them to announce the pick. After they did he was overjoyed, they got who they wanted.  The story about Fultz is that Stevens talked to the guidance councilor and questioned him on how he would handle possibly sitting alot or taking instruction. Whatever the counselor told him, he had something
in his head that made him think that this might not be a good choice for the Celtics. This is big money you are talking about so I am sure alot of thought goes in to the decision

I think they had major doubts about Fultz being a winner before that phone call. It's just that the trade was put together shortly after that phone call. But Fultz's body language was terrible all year, and he never came alive in games until his team was down 20 and the intensity of the defense against him dropped.

Then there's all the reports that his AAU and high school teams never won anything, and even in open gym situations Fultz's teams rarely won games.

Then he basically quit on his college team this past year, he had a little knee soreness and he sat out the rest of the year.

[RosalieTCeltics]

So, then how does a kid like that get ranked #1 in the nation? Just does not make sense. I have come completely on board with what Danny did. How many GM's have the guts to do this and come away with the guy they wanted from the beginning? This move, I hope, makes a lot of those complaining about this trade to eat their words.

The quality of the player is obviously more important in Boston than other teams

[NYCelt]

It looks like the Celtics never had any question about Fultz, they just didn't want another guard.  It doesn't appear to have anything to do with any negative feedback they got. There has never been any thought expressed that there was anything wrong with Fultz' game or mentality; quite the contrary.  As Ainge said, they knew what they needed to know about Fultz (and others) from the start.  They scout these kids well from the time they come out of high school.  Fultz was an outstanding amateur and will very likely be a highly successful pro.  Good luck to him, except against Boston.

Between Tatum and Jackson, they had two excellent choices from the start and a need for a wing that could evolve into the team's SF.  It had to be someone who could shoot off the dribble or pass, someone who could go up-tempo and someone who could defend NBA wings.  Both checked all those boxes.  As I kept repeating for weeks prior to the draft, I had hoped they would go with Tatum, as he had the better developed all-around game and is an extremely intelligent young player.  Wish fulfilled.

If you read some of the articles leading up to the draft, it looks like Krzyzewski may have known what was about to happen, or at least had a strong gut feeling.  Reports had it that he came away from conversations with Stevens and Ainge, telling Tatum what an outstanding coach he felt Stevens was.

Nice to hear Tatum's parents are behind his landing in Boston as well.  This is probably going to end up being The Celtics small forward for some time to come; good to have the family on board and appreciative of the opportunity.

[fierce]

We'll know more about Fultz and Tatum out next week when the Celts face the Sixers in the summer league.

[NYCelt]

We'll know more about Fultz and Tatum out next week when the Celts face the Sixers in the summer league.

fierce,

Yes, after all the build-up, I think it will be fun to catch them then.

It will probably be well into December before we can start to say which picks look productive however.  Summer league often ends up being a mish-mash that resembles NCAA DII or G-League Lite. Hard to form too concrete of a picture.  Players adapting to new situations and semi-street ball late in games end up being the order of the day.  I don't want to rush the cold weather, especially as wet and cold a spring as we've had in the NE, but we'll get a better look at what we have in November and into early winter.

I can wait, though; after all, it's baseball season!

Regards

[fierce]

We'll know more about Fultz and Tatum out next week when the Celts face the Sixers in the summer league.

fierce,

Yes, after all the build-up, I think it will be fun to catch them then.

It will probably be well into December before we can start to say which picks look productive however.  Summer league often ends up being a mish-mash that resembles NCAA DII or G-League Lite.  Players adapting to new situations and semi-street ball late in games end up being the order of the day.  I don't want to rush the cold weather, especially as wet and cold a spring as we've had in the NE, but we'll get a better look at what we have in November and into early winter.

Regards

What I'm worried about is the lack of playing time once the regular season starts.

If the Celts have George or Hayward or both, I think Tatum will end up getting limited minutes because he will be behind Jaylen Brown on the depth chart.

That's why I'm excited to see Tatum play in the summer league because he's definitely going to get a lot of minutes.

[NYCelt]

We'll know more about Fultz and Tatum out next week when the Celts face the Sixers in the summer league.

fierce,

Yes, after all the build-up, I think it will be fun to catch them then.

It will probably be well into December before we can start to say which picks look productive however.  Summer league often ends up being a mish-mash that resembles NCAA DII or G-League Lite.  Players adapting to new situations and semi-street ball late in games end up being the order of the day.  I don't want to rush the cold weather, especially as wet and cold a spring as we've had in the NE, but we'll get a better look at what we have in November and into early winter.

Regards

What I'm worried about is the lack of playing time once the regular season starts.

If the Celts have George or Hayward or both, I think Tatum will end up getting limited minutes because he will be behind Jaylen Brown on the depth chart.

That's why I'm excited to see Tatum play in the summer league because he's definitely going to get a lot of minutes.

fierce,

I agree with you there.

My own thinking is we're not going after Hayward and won't pursue George with any real effort. If that's so, I'm good with that too. I've been voicing the opinion that we're better off in term's of being competitive in the long and short run giving the wing opportunity to Tatum and Brown and spending our time and money from here to the season looking for bigs. I expect to see Tatum ahead of Brown on the depth chart relatively fast, with Brown well suited to a a roll off the bench as a 3/2 wing who can defend multiple positions and do it well.

Regards

[fierce]

We'll know more about Fultz and Tatum out next week when the Celts face the Sixers in the summer league.

fierce,

Yes, after all the build-up, I think it will be fun to catch them then.

It will probably be well into December before we can start to say which picks look productive however.  Summer league often ends up being a mish-mash that resembles NCAA DII or G-League Lite.  Players adapting to new situations and semi-street ball late in games end up being the order of the day.  I don't want to rush the cold weather, especially as wet and cold a spring as we've had in the NE, but we'll get a better look at what we have in November and into early winter.

Regards

What I'm worried about is the lack of playing time once the regular season starts.

If the Celts have George or Hayward or both, I think Tatum will end up getting limited minutes because he will be behind Jaylen Brown on the depth chart.

That's why I'm excited to see Tatum play in the summer league because he's definitely going to get a lot of minutes.

fierce,

I agree with you there.

My own thinking is we're not going after Hayward and won't pursue George with any real effort.  If that's so, I'm good with that too.  I've been voicing the opinion that we're better off in term's of being competitive in the long and short run giving the wing opportunity to Tatum and Brown and spending our time and money from here to the season looking for bigs.  I expect to see Tatum ahead of Brown on the depth chart relatively fast, with Brown well suited to a a roll off the bench as a 3/2 wing who can defend multiple positions and do it well.

Regards

I think the Celts will go after Hayward or Griffin in free-agency.

But I agree that if Celts don't end up with Hayward or George, Celts will be fine with Tatum and Jaylen for the short term and the future.

[Shamrock1000]

It looks like the Celtics never had any question about Fultz, they just didn't want another guard.  It doesn't appear to have anything to do with any negative feedback they got. There has never been any thought expressed that there was anything wrong with Fultz' game or mentality; quite the contrary.  As Ainge said, they knew what they needed to know about Fultz (and others) from the start.  They scout these kids well from the time they come out of high school.  Fultz was an outstanding amateur and will very likely be a highly successful pro.  Good luck to him, except against Boston.

Between Tatum and Jackson, they had two excellent choices from the start and a need for a wing that could evolve into the team's SF.  It had to be someone who could shoot off the dribble or pass, someone who could go up-tempo and someone who could defend NBA wings.  Both checked all those boxes.  As I kept repeating for weeks prior to the draft, I had hoped they would go with Tatum, as he had the better developed all-around game and is an extremely intelligent young player.  Wish fulfilled.

If you read some of the articles leading up to the draft, it looks like Krzyzewski may have known what was about to happen, or at least had a strong gut feeling.  Reports had it that he came away from conversations with Stevens and Ainge, telling Tatum what an outstanding coach he felt Stevens was.

Nice to hear Tatum's parents are behind his landing in Boston as well.  This is probably going to end up being The Celtics small forward for some time to come; good to have the family on board and appreciative of the opportunity.

Great post. You can like Tatum without dissing Fultz. From everything I saw and read, Fultz has his head screwed on right, and I personally loved his herky-jerky, change-of-speed game. Wouldn't be at all surprised if he ends up being an excellent pro. That being said, I am also happy with the way things turned out. Tatum has a gift for getting the ball in the hoop - can't teach that. His footwork is excellent. I've heard his game described as "an old man game", similar to Pierce. That's music to my ears. It suggests a different kind of ahtleticism - one based on balance, body control, and awareness of a defender's momentum. It tells me the kid is a smart savvy player. Players like that can have long productive careers. How many of these uber-athletic players burn out, never being able to harness their gifts to play an effective game?? So many. As for Jackson, I just didn't get it. I respect Rmbone's scouting, so there is probably something there, but I feel like he was a high motor, but not particularly skilled player. Guys like that are good to have on the team, but I feel you should aim higher when drafting in the top three. Now, if Tatum pans out, and the Lakers/Sacto pick is a top three pick next year or the year after, then Danny is in fact a genius.

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