Joe Mazzulla fires back at Brandon Jennings' Jayson Tatum criticism
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Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla weighed in on the growing tension between Jayson Tatum and Brandon Jennings on Friday. The former Milwaukee Bucks guard sparked controversy on social media with his comments about Tatum. On “Gil’s Arena,” Jennings labeled the Celtics star as “soft.”
Mazzulla defended his star player and gave Jennings a pointed reminder about his own playing career.
Joe Mazzulla firing back at Brandon Jennings comments on Jayson Tatum
“Sometimes the older you get, the better you were as a player. You forget, like – and that's everybody, people say that. So if we all just kind of remembered what we were then, we probably wouldn't have so many opinions of other people,” said the Celtics head coach.
“Is he the softest Boston Celtics superstar ever?” Jennings asked in the podcast.
After Arenas proposed “quietest” as a more fitting label, Jennings stood firm. “No, soft!” he responded, before briefly trying to clarify, stating that his comment stemmed from his belief about what opponents fear.
Jennings then reverted to his initial point, questioning whether anyone would consider Tatum tougher than Celtics legends like Larry Bird, Kevin Garnett, Kevin McHale, Paul Pierce, or Bill Russell.
Tatum has averaged 28.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 5.5 assists across 34 games, while shooting 46.3% from the field.
In response to Brandon Jennings’ comment, Tatum fired back on Instagram, sharing videos and photos of himself with a caption that seemed to take a dig at the former Bucks player.
“"SoFtesT SuPeRstar in CeLtiC HiStoRy ,” said Tatum on instagram
“This the energy I want!!!!” Jennings responded on Tatum's post.
The Celtics head coach teaching about criticism
Mazzulla also talked about Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown handling criticism in the same interview.
"I don't want them to believe all the positive stuff or all the negative stuff," Mazzulla said. "Because both of them can be detrimental and neither one of them are that important. What they think of themselves, what I think of them, what the team thinks, what the people closest to them think (is)."
One tactic the coach employs, according to Mazzulla, is presenting Tatum and Brown with a timeline of the criticism that several NBA legends endured throughout their careers.
"I give them a timeline of like, here's what was being said about him in the beginning/ Here's what was being said about him in the middle, and here's what was being said about him in the end, and it was comical how people keep bouncing back and forth in the opinions," Mazzulla remarked.
"But you just kind of share perspective because every player has gone through something. If you want to be great, you're going to go through that. So, it'll help to maintain a little perspective on that," he continued.
Mazzulla and the Celtics facing criticism this season
Mazzulla, a former college basketball player at West Virginia without an NBA career, admitted that he couldn't comment on how former players use their platforms to criticize current players.
The Celtics head coach emphasized that the lesson extends beyond basketball. He explained that everyone faces criticism, and how we perceive it influences both how we handle it and how we give it.
Joe Mazzulla stressed that players shouldn't rely on validation from others to prove their value, pointing out that Tatum's achievements speak for themselves.
Despite leading Boston to a championship, Mazzulla has faced criticism. The Celtics have suffered losses to some of the NBA's top teams during the 2024-25 season, including the OKC Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Celtics have also been defeated by teams such as the Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks.
The post Joe Mazzulla fires back at Brandon Jennings’ Jayson Tatum criticism appeared first on ClutchPoints.
