Celtics’ Jayson Tatum Tagged as the ‘NBA’s Heartbeat’

Jayson Tatum is a top-five player in the NBA. Last season, the Boston Celtics superstar accepted a sacrificial role as a primary playmaker to help his team lift a championship.

This season, Tatum’s role has been far more balanced. The St. Louis native has been a menace when attacking the rim and has been finding his rhythm on the perimeter of late, too. Yet, for all the talk of his on-court exploits, it’s often easy to overlook the fact that Tatum rarely misses games.

In fact, Tatum’s aversion to ‘load management’ has led to him receiving praise from all around the NBA, both from media and fans. During a recent episode of the “Colin Cowherd Show,” the veteran analyst labeled Tatum as the “NBA’s heartbeat.”

“In an NBA locker room, the culute is set by the team’s best player,” Cowherd said. “It’s a game of follow the leader. If your star shows up every single night, the rest of the team falls in line. Forget load management; I want lead management, and Jayson Tatum is that guy. He’s always the first guy on the floor in warm-ups. Locked in both ends. He’s not coasting, not pacing himself. He plays and plays hard every single night. That’s a big deal. I don’t think he’s the face of the league yet. But he might be the heartbeat…Great player. Great attitude.”

Tatum recently suffered an ankle sprain. He missed one game and quickly returned to the lineup to face the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, March 29. That is the type of player Tatum is. He never wants to be off the court or too far away from the action.

Celtics Aiming to Keep Tatum and Jaylen Brown

The Celtics are expected to make some roster changes during the summer. They currently face a $500 million payroll for next season due to salaries and luxury taxes. However, according to Jake Fischer, Boston remains adamant that both Tatum and Jaylen Brown will remain with the roster.

“Several league figures with knowledge of Boston’s thinking have remained adamant about Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown continuing to be the unquestioned on-court pillars of this franchise,” Fischer reported via the SteinLine Newsletter. “… despite the wishful thinking from some teams out there that Brown would somehow be made available this summer. And if the Celtics are able to go back-to-back during the forthcoming playoff tournament, it figures to be even more of a moot point.”

When Tatum and Brown have shared the floor this season, the Celtics have outscored opponents by 8.3 points per 100 possessions.

Celtics Could Lose Al Horford

Al Horford is a key component of the Celtics roster. He is a veteran leader in the locker room and one of the most reliable producers on the floor. Unfortunately for Celtics fans, Horford will enter unrestricted free agency at the end of the season. Fischer has reported teams around the NBA could look to pry him away from the Celtics with offers starting at $6 million.

“After a tremendous campaign helping to offset Porzingis’ various absences, Horford will be the one rotation Celtic entering free agency this summer,” Fischer reported.” Replacing this season’s $9.5 million salary with a minimum contract next season would certainly help with Boston’s tax bill, too.”

Fischer continued.

“…Boston, mind you, has lost Horford in free agency before and more than one rival cap strategist out there has indicated that the 38-year-old could well attract offers starting at the projected $6 million taxpayer midlevel exception.”

Horford appears happy in Boston. He has a defined role and is able to compete for championships. With his career drawing to a close, he may choose to remain with the franchise rather than chase another payday. Of course, the opportunity to continue working with Tatum will likely be a factor.

After all, you don’t get to play with a star of Tatum’s caliber too often, especially not one with his mindset and commitment to winning.