Maybe more than at any point previously in his NBA career, star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is the fulcrum that moves his team's offense. "At the end of the day, we want the ball in his hands, and he's going to make plays for himself and for others," said Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla after a recent Celtics practice (via CLNS Media). "And he's been one of the best at it in his career."

"Every time the ball's in his hands, I expect he's going to make the right play," added the Celtics coach. "And he's done that more times than not and continues to do it for us." That relationship is reciprocal, with Boston's bench of coaches working hard to get the team working to get the ball to the St. Louis native whenever he has the advantage. "It all really depends on how the game's going," said Mazzulla on how his coaching staff maximizes Tatum's impact. "I think different late-game situations have different information, so that could change."

"In the Brooklyn (Nets) game, he made a great read," he added. "But that play could easily have gone to Payton (Pritchard), if they defended it a certain type of way."

"So really ... it's our job to teach him all the if-then scenarios, and the reads and the instincts off those scenarios to make the best decision possible maybe before he even gets the ball," said Mazzulla.

"That play he made the exact right read, it might be a different read in another moment, and we've got to train him to be able to do that under duress."