Celtics’ mindset for NBA title is ‘where it needs to be,’ Jayson Tatum says

Jayson Tatum has accomplished a lot in his first seven seasons in the NBA. But the Boston Celtics forward has yet to accomplish the ultimate goal of hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

He’s come close, though. The Celtics reached the NBA Finals in 2022 before ultimately falling to the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 at TD Garden. Boston nearly made it back-to-back Finals appearances, but lost to the No. 8 seed Miami Heat last season in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Celtics are in prime position to reach the Finals this year. Going into Thursday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, Boston is atop the NBA standings with a 57-15 record and has already clinched the No. 1 seed. Success in the regular season is a familiar road for the 26-year-old, and Tatum believes the highs and lows of the playoffs will only help Boston secure Banner 18 this year.

Experience is the best teacher, right? The last few years being that close and not getting over the hump obviously was extremely tough,” Tatum said on “NBA on TNT” on Tuesday night. “And I think everybody on our team is in a perfect place in their career. We’ve all accomplished individual things, everybody’s gotten paid, and the last thing for most of us — except for Jrue Holiday — is we all trying to get over that hump. And I think we have the right group, the right mindset to do those things. Obviously, we still have to do it, stay healthy and continue to play the right way. But our mindset is where it needs to be.”

Having the right mindset, as Tatum mentioned, will be key for the Celtics’ success after the regular season. The 2018-19 roster was stacked and, on paper, looked like they’d be nearly impossible to beat. After all, the team featured Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, and Tatum and Jaylen Brown were emerging as strong players. But Hayward revealed that winning a title wasn’t the Celtics’ “main agenda”, and no one wanted to make sacrifices — even if it meant becoming NBA champions.