Celtics' Jayson Tatum gives strong response to being face of criticism
Yesterday at 01:06 AM
BOSTON — Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum is used to people taking shots at him. So when he was asked about the Toronto Raptors mocking him on social media (and to his face), he was unfazed.
On Wednesday night, the rebuilding Raptors pulled off an impressive upset and stunned the C’s in Canada, 110-97. Tatum finished with an underwhelming 16 points in 36 minutes, and Raptors’ franchise cornerstone Scottie Barnes even antagonized the reigning champion by clapping in front of him on defense.
Ik Tatum missed but Scottie clapping in his face just to get bodied by a screen with no Tatum handle is comedy pic.twitter.com/1ZLkPLUhHA
— Ceddanne Rafaela Enjoyer (@RafaelaEnjoyer) January 16, 2025
The Green Team trailed for the majority of the contest and never generated enough momentum for a comeback. The Raps, who had previously lost their last ten games against the Celtics, took to social media to celebrate their shocking victory. They included a picture of former Milwaukee Bucks scorer Brandon Jennings underneath the final box score in a post on X, referencing how Jennings recently called Tatum the “softest Celtics superstar” in history.
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) January 16, 2025
Tatum bounced back in a big way on Friday evening, dropping 30 points and shooting over 57 percent from the field en route to a 121-94 win over the Orlando Magic. Following the magical blowout, the five-time All-Star had his first opportunity to discuss the Raptors’ taunts with the media. However, Tatum played it cool when questioned about Barnes’ actions and the Jennings jab.
“I don’t know, I guess I’m a big deal,” Tatum said before walking off the press podium.
Jayson Tatum was asked about the shots people take at him, including Scottie Barnes clapping in his face and the Raptors posting a picture with Brandon Jennings after beating the Celtics.
He joked:
"I don't know, I guess I'm a big deal." pic.twitter.com/ucyZYzhNU0
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) January 18, 2025
How did Jayson Tatum and the Celtics dominate the Magic?
Boston’s go-to guy had a game-high plus-minus rating of plus-24 versus the Magic, who the Celtics previously lost to in December when Tatum was sidelined with an illness. His presence was felt during the rematch, as the St. Louis native did it all and stuffed the stat sheet with six rebounds, four assists, two steals, one block, and just one turnover. Tatum also had his best 3-point shooting performance of 2025 thanks to four made triples on nine attempts.
“Yeah, it definitely felt good to hit some shots,” Tatum replied when asked if he was relieved to see some 3-pointers connect after a few rough outings from beyond the arc. “But, I just liked how physical we were from the beginning. Starters haven’t necessarily started the game as well as we would have liked recently, but I think tonight we matched [the Magic’s] intensity from the beginning.”
The Magic boast the second-best defensive rating in the NBA, yet the Celtics toyed with them on Friday. Boston shot 52.5 percent from the floor and 45.9 percent from 3-point land while generating 25 assists to Orlando’s 15. When the Celtics record more assists than their opponent, they are 21-1 on the season.
Jayson Tatum gets the TOUGH bucket to fall pic.twitter.com/7zGMpF8rut
— Celtics Nation (@CelticsNationCP) January 18, 2025
The season series between the Celtics and Magic is now 1-1, and the rubber match won’t come until April 9 in Florida. Currently, the C’s are 29-12 and in second place in the Eastern Conference. After losing to Boston, Orlando dropped to sixth place in the East and 23-20 overall.
At the midpoint of the remarkably successful 2023-24 season, Tatum and company were 32-9. They’re three wins behind that incredible record a year later but still in the mix for another title. Although the regular season hasn’t been as pretty this time around, the Celtics’ have shown some resiliency, explaining why they’re 11-1 in games following a loss.
No matter how Boston fares in the second half of the 2024-25 campaign, Tatum is sure to face more criticism, whether it be from the media, former players, or even active players. But he’ll deal with it like he usually does and let his game speak for itself.
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