"If you aspire to chase (Bird)," Tatum said, "it comes with a level of focus and motivation every single day to be the best you can."

Jayson Tatum has stressed for years that he always aims to be the best. When it comes to becoming one of the greatest Celtics ever, he said he's chasing one legend in particular.

Fans of the Boston Celtics have something special in star forward Jayson Tatum. The St. Louis native has evolved as a player, no longer hunting for big scoring numbers, and using his potency on that end of the court to draw double- and triple-teams to the benefit of teammates he dimes up on the regular.

I always want to be the best. He’s, in my opinion, the best Celtic ever. He did it the right way, and he’s a great guy to chase in a sense.”

Star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is this generation's version of the LeBron James Swiss Army knife player. Or at least that is the position of the eponymous host of the "Hoops Tonight with Jason Timpf" podcast host on a recent episode of his show. And if you squint a bit, the comparison rings true.