No Friends? Jayson Tatum Makes Stance Clear Before Celtics-Magic Series

The Duke brotherhood runs deep for every one of its NBA success stories, but Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum is putting all of that aside in preparation for the team’s first-round playoff series against the Orlando Magic.

Tatum and the Celtics will go head-to-head against Paolo Banchero, a fellow ex-Blue Devil, starting Sunday afternoon at TD Garden. Banchero, who entered the league as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, has long supported Tatum from afar and detailed their growing friendship during All-Star Weekend in San Francisco.

In Tatum’s eyes, none of that matters. The Celtics are Tatum’s premier priority for as long as their playoff run lasts. So when asked if his friendship with Banchero plays any factor, the six-time All-Star responded as a cutthroat veteran competitor would.

“(Does it) change the dynamics? No,” Tatum told reporters at Wednesday’s practice, per CLNS Media. “That’s how it should be. He’s trying to lead his team in a playoff series and figure out ways to win, and I’m trying to do the same thing. It’s the playoffs, so now just having an understanding of no friends out there, nothing else matters besides doing everything that I can to help my team win. There’s not really time for anything else.”

Banchero has undergone an early career trajectory similar to Tatum’s after the Celtics selected him third overall in the 2017 draft. Banchero is the young face of an ascending franchise that hasn’t made it out of the first round of the playoffs in 15 years — when Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen eliminated Orlando in the 2010 Eastern Conference finals. Coming off his first All-Star appearance this past season, Banchero is working alongside co-star Franz Wagner to make the Magic a legitimate contender for years to come, just as Tatum did with Jaylen Brown not too long ago.

Although limited to 46 games, Banchero was one of the league’s most elite scorers. He averaged a career-best 25.6 points on a 45.2% shooting clip from the field, along with 7.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists. Banchero’s 36 absences proved costly as Orlando went 20-16 without him before finishing with a dead-even 41-41 record. It wasn’t pretty, but it also doesn’t speak to what the Magic are slated to become in the future.

Orlando earned itself a play-in tournament date with Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks, and Banchero didn’t squander the opportunity. He nearly recorded a triple-double by scoring 17 points with nine rebounds and seven assists as the Magic crushed the Hawks, 120-95, and secured the No. 7 seed in the East — and a first-round date with Boston.

“I’ve known Jayson since I was going into college,” Banchero told reporters after Tuesday night’s win, per team-provided video. “I see him every summer. So, a guy that I’m very familiar with. One of the guys I go to for advice and stuff like that, but obviously now we’re competing. I think the best way for me to show my respect is to give him my best effort and go at him as much as I can. So I’m excited for the matchup and I’m just excited to be in the playoffs in general.”

Banchero added: “The fact that we’re able to clinch the 7th seed with this game and give ourselves to go into Boston and make some noise, I’m definitely happy about that.”

The Magic have their work cut out for them. Not only do the Celtics have home-court advantage throughout the series, they’re also the league’s best team on the road — Boston fell a win short of tying the all-time record (34). Tatum and Brown have undergone eight playoff journeys together, and they’re the team to beat with the biggest target on their back, monstrous-sized expectations and a thirst for Banner 19.

Game 1 from TD Garden between Boston and Orlando is scheduled for Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET.