- 6 minutes ago
WEEI reporter and host Justin Turpin sat in with Rich, Ken, and Ted to talk about the Celtics, including Paul George’s good start to the season, Jayson Tatum’s workload and his desire to win MVP, and more.
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00:00Top-tier Terp in studio with us, covers the Patriots and the Celtics,
00:04and that's such a crazy game because it's always going to be remembered
00:09for that last shot, and by the way, you should take nothing away
00:13from Jason Tatum because Jason Tatum in that game was incredible.
00:17But that team almost lost to the worst team in the league.
00:19They should have lost to the worst team in the league.
00:22One of the worst teams in the league.
00:22I don't think they're the worst team in the league.
00:24I think there is some young talent there.
00:26Jordy Fernandez is doing a good job having them playing hard every night,
00:29but that's a really bad team, and you can't lose a game
00:32when you're up by four with four seconds left.
00:35Yes, yes.
00:35Then for it to go to overtime, and Mikel Brown, the rookie from Louisville,
00:39didn't have to take the layup.
00:41The shot clock was off.
00:42There was under four seconds left.
00:44What was he doing?
00:44I don't know.
00:45He tweeted out.
00:46He took accountability after.
00:47He's like, that's on me, Brooklyn.
00:48I'll be better.
00:48But you learned that eighth grade.
00:50I know.
00:51And we're going to get to your controversial Paul George take,
00:54which is becoming less controversial as the days go on,
00:56but I want to ask you about Tatum because Tatum,
00:58obviously, was the star there.
01:00Tatum, ever since game one, has been very, very good.
01:03Tatum's workload is concerning.
01:05I mean, he played a season-high 42 minutes against Brooklyn.
01:08He's coming back from an ankle injury or an Achilles injury.
01:12Are you concerned at all that he's got to be the guy that carries the load
01:15and that they're going to continue to just work him like a horse,
01:19or is this just, hey, man, that's what stars do
01:22when you're the number one guy.
01:23You've got to get out there and play your 42 minutes if you need to.
01:25The team was built in raising him up to the highest level he can be.
01:30And I think early on, you're seeing that is the case.
01:33You're seeing that he can elevate this team.
01:35Think about all the questions that people were asking after the first loss.
01:38Well, how clutch is he?
01:39Well, since then, leads the league in clutch points.
01:41He has 19 total.
01:43He's shooting 50% in those moments.
01:45Oh, how aggressive is he?
01:46Well, look at how he's been downhill.
01:48Like 24 of 51 over his last three games on two-point attempts.
01:5112 of 16 in the restricted area.
01:54Gets to the free throw line 20 times the other night.
01:56So all the things that we wanted to see him improve on
01:59after the opening day loss, he has.
02:01And he's been much better.
02:02The passing's right there.
02:03And I've always said if Jason Tatum is truly going to be in the MVP conversation,
02:07it starts with his assist numbers.
02:09You know he's going to be up close to 30 a game.
02:11That's just the type of scorer he is.
02:13Can he have the assist numbers right around 7-8?
02:16That's how you get in the MVP conversation.
02:18And so far, he's done that.
02:19Do you think he has a chance?
02:21Because SGA, Luka, you know, is going to get Luka votes for being in L.A.?
02:24It's really early.
02:25Only four games in.
02:26Like, there's a lot between now and then.
02:28Obviously, you've got to play the 65 games.
02:30So these things kind of do, you know, it takes time to really come to fruition.
02:33But he's going to have the workload and the opportunity to do it.
02:37Absolutely.
02:37Do you like the fact that he is off the ball more?
02:40I do.
02:41I do.
02:41And taking more two-point shots.
02:43Yeah.
02:43I really like that they're using him off the ball.
02:45And I think that's been some of their most efficient looks.
02:47I mean, that's how they got the game winner the other day.
02:48They had him off the ball.
02:50It was a little screen with Pritchard.
02:51And it was them two just making a read.
02:53And Jason Tatum had great instincts.
02:55Knew that he had two dribbles and got to get it up.
02:57And he got right to his spot and hit it.
02:58It's so nice.
02:59Isn't it tough to see, like, Tatum not dribble as much?
03:02Like, stop dribbling so much.
03:03Like, where he's off the ball, he can catch and shoot.
03:07Or just take a couple steps and pull up jump.
03:09They pull up jump shot to win the game.
03:12Nobody can block that shot.
03:13He can get that all day long.
03:14It was just so much.
03:15It was so nice.
03:16I know they didn't need three points, but you're just used to him doing the step-back
03:19three, step-back three, step-back three.
03:21And those are important.
03:22Those side-step threes are super important.
03:23Like, when they're hitting, when he's hitting those, that changes a game.
03:26And I think you have to allow him to keep taking that shot.
03:29But he's at his best when he's getting downhill.
03:31And he's matching teams' physicality.
03:33And he's done that really, really well the last three games.
03:36When Mannix yesterday told us they're in some trouble, I thought of Terp right away.
03:40I was like, oh, man, Terp's throwing something on his radio.
03:42Because he's got to be pissed.
03:43Did you hear that yesterday?
03:44I did, I did.
03:45I do agree that they have a lack of players that can put the ball on the ground and just
03:49get their own shot.
03:50And I think those players are Jason Tatum, Peyton Pritchard, and the one that Mannix left out,
03:54Paul George.
03:54I think Paul George can be that type of player.
03:56Paul George!
03:57He's been grateful.
03:58He did leave him out, though, man.
03:59He left him out.
04:01He's been great.
04:02But the question wasn't whether or not when he's healthy, he can be great.
04:05The question is, how long can he be healthy?
04:08And I think that that was the biggest concern, is how many games is this guy going to play
04:12this season?
04:12Do you have any kind of inkling as to whether or not he's going to be handled differently
04:17by Joe Mazzula as far as usage back-to-backs?
04:20It was kind of shocking seeing him play as much as he did the other night.
04:23I didn't think that would be the case.
04:25Are they just going to play him as if he's never had an injury history before?
04:29Him playing 36 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back and being as impactful
04:34as he was.
04:34He had 20 points, shot 50%, had seven rebounds and seven assists.
04:38That was his most well-rounded game.
04:40His best game was the opening day game against Detroit.
04:43His most well-rounded game was the other night, and it's 36 minutes off the back-to-back.
04:47And he was asked about that, how they're going to kind of handle that.
04:49And he said that the goal is to be healthy come the playoffs.
04:53So however they manage him, he's willing to do it.
04:56But he keeps saying that he hasn't really felt this way in a while
05:00and that he's fully healthy and that he can do things that he must be able to do before.
05:07You make me feel a way that no other lady has ever made me feel.
05:10So he has every new team.
05:11But he played a back-to-back.
05:13That is shocking.
05:1436 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back.
05:15I didn't think Mitch Robinson would be out there.
05:17Jason Tatum's another one that's interesting.
05:19I don't really feel as strongly about him missing back-to-backs.
05:22I think it's just kind of a natural conversation until you see it happen.
05:25He didn't play in back-to-backs last year when he came back, which is to be expected.
05:28So until you actually see it, it's kind of like something you're going to question.
05:31So him being out there and playing, what did he play?
05:3442 minutes.
05:35It was a lot early in the year.
05:37But I also think that's kind of ramping up for the conditioning and stuff
05:40and really getting these guys into game shape.
05:42Because you can't really simulate that stuff in training.
05:43Are you seeing Paul George and Tatum playing off of each other?
05:49For sure.
05:50Playing well together?
05:51Well, I think part of that is using Jason Moore off-ball.
05:54Right, right, right, right, right.
05:56I mean, a lot of people say, oh, you know, JB, JT, JB, JT.
06:00It's like, I don't think they ever played well off of each other.
06:04You know what I mean?
06:04Where they set each other up.
06:06But was JB a shot creator?
06:08He was.
06:09Mannix said, Paul George is not.
06:10I can't believe he left him off there.
06:11That might have just been like a...
06:12He didn't say he wasn't, or he just didn't read him off.
06:14He might have forgotten the moment there.
06:16Because Paul George can definitely do that.
06:17Yeah, I'm sure Mannix forgot.
06:18Oh, sure.
06:19All right, let me ask you about this.
06:20Because, you know, you were talking about the usage of Jason Tatum.
06:24And he got 42 minutes the other day.
06:26I mean, he's...
06:26And he's somebody that when you are the best, unquestionably the best player on a team.
06:31Especially one that's not expected to win at all.
06:33Like, the Celtics are not expected to win at all.
06:35That's almost like the perfect weather for an MVP candidate.
06:39Somebody who can elevate your team.
06:42Unquestionably, you're the guy on that team.
06:43So, this year, you would think he would get votes.
06:46Jason Tatum talked about that.
06:48And this is in a recent interview.
06:50Let's take a listen.
06:51Okay, now, Jason.
06:52I need you to do one favor for me.
06:54Because my OGs always tell me.
06:55They say, don't tell me about something after it happens.
06:58You've got to tell me before.
06:59And I've been saying that next season is the Jason Tatum MVP season.
07:04There's a lot of responsibility on his shoulders now.
07:06First time as being like the sole superstar of the team.
07:09We're going to go get that MVP?
07:10You know what?
07:11It's like, why not me?
07:14So, this year.
07:16Okay.
07:17All right.
07:17Now, this is going to be controversial.
07:18Oh, no.
07:19What was this?
07:20Yeah, exactly.
07:20What was this film?
07:21A couple days ago.
07:22This is Hoop Genius.
07:24You know Hoop Genius?
07:25I don't.
07:25No.
07:26He's a genius.
07:27That sounds it.
07:28Yes.
07:28I mean, do you like that?
07:29Do you like that your star is going after the MVP?
07:32Dude, I am one of these people who usually, when I hear somebody talking about how much
07:36they want the MVP, I roll my eyes and I say, it's about a championship, it's not an
07:40MVP.
07:41That, to me, just sounded like a reaction to a question.
07:44I'm not going to get as...
07:45Was that a plant question?
07:46No, no, no.
07:47I don't think it was a plant question.
07:48Was it a documentary?
07:49I don't like it when people talk about how much they want MVP.
07:53I don't.
07:54I just...
07:54It always rubs me the wrong way.
07:56And I'm going to give him a little bit of grace on that, because it just sounded like
08:00it was thrown into his lap, and he's like, sure, yeah, why not?
08:03MVP.
08:03I mean, this is Tatum's team, and it's...
08:06Hold on.
08:08I'm hearing some groaning from Ted.
08:09I need him to talk.
08:10Hold on.
08:10You cut him off guard?
08:14How about...
08:14You know what?
08:15I don't care about individual awards.
08:17All I care about is winning the championship.
08:19This is the NBA we're talking about.
08:20Yeah.
08:22Yes.
08:22Yes.
08:23There's still...
08:24Has anyone ever said that?
08:25It's not about awards in the NBA.
08:26Jalen Brunson said that.
08:28Jalen Brunson takes less money to be on a team so he can win.
08:31That's true.
08:31See, that is going to be an extreme example for years to come, though.
08:35I don't think people can expect players to do what Jalen Brunson did.
08:39I agree with Ted, because it always makes me roll my eyes whenever anyone's talking about
08:43MVP.
08:43In that case, it just sounded as if he was just reacting to it.
08:47But you're right.
08:47You would think that somebody who's been in the game that long, who's spoken in the
08:51media and done as many interviews, would probably just naturally go, hey, man, all I want is
08:56to win a championship.
08:57That's like my number one thing.
08:58But this is what people chant at him at the game.
09:00They're chanting MVP.
09:01Well, Derek White got those the other night.
09:02Yeah, but those were meant for Tatum, right?
09:04That was Tatum's assist.
09:06What would they...
09:06JB kind of ripped...
09:09He made a slide kind of comment about JT.
09:12Yes, he did.
09:13I don't care about those.
09:14They gave me two MVPs, but I don't care.
09:16But then again, JB threw out...
09:17That'll always be the case when she was on the other foot.
09:20Remember that?
09:21He was like, I happen to have two MVPs.
09:23You can't tell me he doesn't care.
09:24He held the damn trophy in his left hand the whole summer.
09:27Yeah, yeah.
09:27You're going to tell me he didn't care?
09:28He cares.
09:29Yeah, right.
09:29He brought it on tour with him when he came back to the thing at the Common.
09:33Aside from Jalen Brunson, they all care.
09:35Aside from Brunson, that's the way these guys are wired.
09:37So I don't really have a problem with it.
09:38And he was asked directly, is this your year for MVP?
09:41What's he going to say?
09:41No, I don't think I can win the MVP.
09:43No, you should say what Ted said.
09:45And that is that, dude, I don't care about those awards.
09:47I want to win a championship.
09:49How hard is that to say?
09:50In the NBA, that's impossible.
09:52The guys can say it.
09:53They can say it.
09:54Nope.
09:55This is not Sal Freelich.
09:57It's amazing how you just make excuses for these guys.
10:00It is.
10:01It's not an excuse.
10:02Don't you agree, Terp?
10:03These guys are driven by the MVPs.
10:05Not all of them.
10:06I mean, every athlete, I think, in some way, that is an appeal to them.
10:12Just because Ted came out as a team when he played.
10:14Let me ask you this.
10:15In the NFL, there is a player that really, truly cares more about MVPs than he does championships.
10:21And who is that guy?
10:23In the NFL.
10:24Yep.
10:24Quarterback.
10:25Aaron Rodgers.
10:25Aaron Rodgers.
10:26What do we think of Aaron Rodgers?
10:28He's a douchebag.
10:29That's another extreme example.
10:31Aaron Rodgers.
10:33Right.
10:33I mean, it's the difference between are you a Tim Duncan or are you a James Harden?
10:37That's what it is.
10:37It's like, are you a guy?
10:38Are you a team player?
10:39Are you a Kobe Bryant?
10:41I like that.
10:41Or are you a, I mean, James Harden.
10:43I keep going back because that guy, when he won the MVP, it was like, this is the greatest
10:46day of my life.
10:47And you're just like, dude, your team, you'll never win.
10:50You'll never win a championship.
10:51Are you a Carmelo Anthony or a Jalen Brunson?