Brad Stevens Told Jayson Tatum to 'Go on Vacation' After Celtics' Loss to Warriors

Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens wants Celtics superstar forward Jayson Tatum to get away for a bit following Boston's loss to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals.

According to ESPN's Tim Bontemps, Stevens was asked Tuesday what advice he had for Tatum after the Finals, and he responded by saying he told Tatum to "go on vacation."

Stevens reportedly added that while Tatum would have liked for things to go differently in the Finals, he had an incredible season and is continuing to grow and learn.

The 24-year-old Tatum's fifth NBA season saw him named an All-Star for the third consecutive year and average career highs across the board with 26.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 3.0 three-pointers made. He also shot 45.3 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from long range.

Tatum was nearly as good during the playoffs with averages of 25.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 3.2 trifectas made. He was also named the inaugural Eastern Conference Finals MVP by virtue of leading Boston past the Miami Heat in seven games.

The former Duke standout did have some major ups and downs during the Finals, though, as did most of the Celtics players.

He scored 23 or more points in four of six Finals games and finished with averages of 21.5 points, 7.0 assists, 6.8 rebounds and 3.3 three-pointers made, but he shot just 36.7 percent from the field.

That included shooting just 6-of-18 from the floor for 13 points in the series-ending Game 6, which was in stark contrast to the 34 points put up by NBA Finals MVP and Warriors star Stephen Curry.

Ultimately, Tatum and the Celtics ran into a generational team that would not be denied its fourth championship in eight years

The Celtics have a chance to contend for many years to come with a core led by Tatum and Jaylen Brown, so the odds seem good that they will get another crack at championship glory in the near future.