Jayson Tatum struggled during the first three quarters of the Boston Celtics’ Game 6 win at the Philadelphia 76ers before scoring 16 points in the final five minutes of the game to stave off elimination.
“I’m, humbly, one of the best basketball players in the world,” Tatum told ESPN’s Cassidy Hubbarth. “You go through struggles, go through slumps. It’s a long game. Thankfully, I’ve got some great teammates that held it down.
“They all trust me. They tell me, keep taking great looks. It’s gonna fall. Keep impacting the game in other ways. And all that matters was we won this game. Give ourselves another chance, come back home for a Game 7.”
Tatum was named to the All-NBA First Team for the second straight season this week, which allows him to qualify for a supermax contract extension with the Celtics he can sign in 2024.