Jayson Tatum spent the first two seasons of his NBA career under Kyrie Irving's wing. While their time together on the Boston Celtics didn't have the happiest of endings, Tatum still learned valuable lessons from playing alongside one of the game's premier superstars.
Ahead of the Celtics' first-round playoff series against Irving and the Brooklyn Nets, Tatum was asked about Irving's impact on him as a teenager coming into the league.
Does Celtics-Nets schedule set up a potential Robert Williams return?
With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams!
SIGN UP HERE "He helped me out a lot those first two years," he said. "Just kind of watching a superstar. I got to see him every day, see how he worked, worked on his body and prepared for games and things like that.
"Learned what to do, learned some things not to do. He'll be the first to tell me that -- I could just learn from the encounters that we had. Obviously, we've talked and there's some things that he told me he would've done differently, but I think that's just part of life. Nobody's perfect and you've just gotta move on from it as you get older."
Tatum declined to elaborate on what Irving regrets from his time in Boston, but it's easy to speculate. The veteran point guard struggled to take on a leadership role in the Celtics locker room. A shot at the team's young players during a slump in January didn't help his cause.
“The young guys don’t know what it takes to be a championship level team. What it takes every day," Irving said at the time. "And if they think it is hard now, what do they think it will be like when we’re trying to get to the Finals?”
Boston Celtics
Find the latest Boston Celtics news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
Irving's tumultuous Celtics tenure ended with him joining the Nets in free agency following the 2018-19 season. His departure came months after he told fans at TD Garden he planned on re-signing with the C's.
Three years later, it's clear Irving and his ex-C's teammates are letting bygones be bygones. There doesn't appear to be any ill will between the two sides as they gear up for their second consecutive first-round matchup.
Celtics vs. Nets Game 1 is set for Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET. Coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. with Pregame Live on NBC Sports Boston.