Jayson Tatum's latest workout sent a clear signal - he wanted people to watch

BIRMINGHAM, Mich. — Hours before tip-off at Little Caesars Arena on Monday night, the Boston Celtics took over the basketball gym at Seaholm High School in Birmingham, Michigan. 

It’s a common stomping ground for NBA teams passing through Detroit. They have a wall of signatures to prove it. Big names like LeBron James, Devin Booker, and even Gregg Popovich line the red paint.

Reporters shuffled into the gym as the Celtics' shootaround was winding down. Only a few players were still in the building. 

Luka Garza was already out of his workout clothes. Hugo Gonzalez and Jordan Walsh were completing a rebounding drill where they had to box out four Boston coaches. Derrick White and Payton Pritchard went through some of their usual drills. Josh Minott, still on the injury report with a sprained ankle, was working on his three-point shot.

That’s normal. By the time the media is allowed into shootaround, most players have already wrapped up their routines and returned to the hotel.

But Monday morning was different. Jayson Tatum was still there. And he put on a show.

“It's been amazing to see,” said White. “Obviously, all the work he's put in. You can just kind of see him being around more and being able to do more, so that's exciting to see, as a friend. So, every day, he's been working hard, and it's good to see all that hard work add to some more movement and more opportunities.”

The Celtics superstar started with mid-range. He took some set shots, slowly backing up to the three-point line after a certain number of makes, rotating his way around the floor.

Then, he worked on his drives. Assistant coach Tony Dobbins bodied him as he worked his way into the post from the top of the key. He faded away and drilled a few middys from that position, too.

Pick-and-roll work came next. Again, Dobbins guarded him as Steve Tchiengang (player development coach) set screens. Tatum worked his way around them for pull-up threes.

He even threw down a couple of dunks.

There was off-ball work with Craig Luschenat (head of player development) throwing him passes, paint shots, though the layups weren’t falling at a usual rate, and plenty of other three-point shooting opportunities for the Boston star. Amile Jefferson, another Celtics assistant coach, and Nick Sang, a Celtics trainer who works with Tatum, both of whom are Tatum's close friends, watched closely. 

Tatum has worked out with reporters present multiple times in the last few months, but this felt different.

Tatum knew exactly what he was doing with latest workout

He could have left. He could have gotten shots up at a different time. Any time. But the way Tatum chose to work out on Monday came with a strong sense of intentionality.

As soon as he stepped foot on the court in front of the media, Tatum knew what would happen. He knew cameras would be rolling. He knew every minuscule movement he made would be caught on film and plastered all over Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and whatever other social media there is.

What does that mean? Well, that’s up for interpretation.

Maybe Tatum wanted to show the world how close he is to returning. NBA Championship betting lines seemingly shifted as soon as videos of the workout began circulating. The Celtics’ title odds improved. So did Tatum’s odds at winning Finals MVP.

Maybe Tatum wanted a gym to himself to work so the rest of the team wouldn’t interfere. The workout did take up the time of five different coaches.

Whatever the case may be, Tatum knows how the media works. He understands the world of basketball. He knew reporters would be at Celtics' shootaround. He knew videos of him working out would go viral on social media.

Nothing Tatum did on Monday specifically indicated that his return timeline has