Star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has developed a killer instinct on the court, and his teammates know it as much as the fans and the media does. When the St. Louis native joined the NBA in 2017, he was known as a dangerous but nice player. He has grown stronger and more competitive in the ensuing years, and meaner more recently as well.

Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics are the defending NBA champions and still feel like they have plenty to prove in the 2025 NBA playoffs. After taking care of Dallas last June, the Celtics have flown under the radar for much of this season.

In a series that forced the Celtics to shift away from their usual style, the Magic never solved the Tatum problem. He slammed the door on them with 35 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in Game 5 after dominating crunch time of Game 4 in a 37-point-14-rebound outing.