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DALLAS — In the wake of Jayson Tatum’s recent revelation that he has worried about his fit on a Boston Celtics team experiencing success without him, Jaylen Brown said Tuesday that he would love to have his injured teammate back in the lineup, but only if it makes sense for him.
“I think it’s been good,” Brown said of his conversations with Tatum after beating the Mavericks 110-100. “I’ve been watching his progression. And I know, mentally, he’s been through ups and downs just like any other person going through adversity in their career, etc., but I just let him know: ‘Do what’s best for you. Make sure. Because outside of it just being physically a setback, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, all that stuff comes into play as well, so even if you’re physically feeling well, make sure your mind — mentally, emotionally and spiritually — feels great too.’ So, I trust, (and) we trust his decision-making.”
Tatum recently said on “The Pivot Podcast” that he thinks about how he will fit on this Celtics team every day. With Boston near the top of the Eastern Conference standings, he said “there obviously could be some challenges” reintegrating himself coming off a torn Achilles. Tatum even suggested he has considered delaying his return because of it.
“It is a thought: Do I come back? Should I wait?” Tatum said on the podcast. “It’s something that I honestly, recently, in the last two weeks or so just kind of contemplate every single day.”
In his first public comments about Tatum since the podcast appearance, Brown suggested his teammate shouldn’t have anything to think about whenever he is healthy enough to return. Though Brown has been open about how much he has enjoyed this season and the additional responsibilities he has taken on, he sounded eager to welcome his teammate back to the lineup whenever Tatum is ready to suit up.
“Obviously, we would love to have him back,” Brown said. “Winning is the most important thing for me. So, being able to add to winning and potentially have another deep playoff run is what I’m aiming for. JT is a big part of that. So, obviously he has to make the right decision for him and his body and his mind and his spirit, all of the above, but when it’s time, if he does make that decision, we would love to have him back.”
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Jay King is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Boston Celtics. He previously covered the team for MassLive for five years. He also co-hosts the “Anything Is Poddable” podcast. Follow Jay on Twitter @byjayking
