Jayson Tatum gives fans a glimpse of his downtime in Abu Dhabi ahead of preseason games

Following his first championship and his second Olympic gold medal run, Jayson Tatum is already set for the Abu Dhabi games against the Denver Nuggets. He shared his arrival by posting a video and a photo on his Instagram stories. The international games set the stage before other NBA teams commence their preseason schedules.

The Abu Dhabi matchups between the Celtics and the Nuggets will take place on Friday and Sunday as basketball fans eagerly anticipate the duel between several elite stars from both teams. It also marks a return for the Celtics in NBA Global games since 2007 when they played in Rome against the Raptors and in London against the Timberwolves.

Jayson Tatum shares arrival in Abu Dhabi

Jayson Tatum provides a glimpse of arrival in Abu Dhabi

Jayson Tatum shared a snap of Abu Dhabi on his Instagram stories

Last season, Jayson Tatum and the Celtics met the Nuggets twice and lost both matchups. In those two head-to-head meetings, Tatum put up 18.5 points (37.8% shooting, including 23.1% from 3-point range), 6.5 assists and 6.0 rebounds.

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Jayson Tatum's coach talked about team's approach for Abu Dhabi fames

During the Boston Celtics' training camp, coach Joe Mazzulla highlighted the team's unchanged mindset and focus for the Nuggets matchup in the Abu Dhabi games.

"Who cares? It's not really a challenge; you just adjust accordingly," Mazzulla said. "Throughout a season, you deal with that, as well. You get started a little earlier when you travel. So it's not much different."

He acknowledged that the games have a different feel considering the travel required and the environment involved. However, Mazzulla reiterated that the team didn't do anything different when it came to its preparations and the game sets the Celtics intend to run against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.

"It'll affect what we do in that short space — the day we land, the next day," Mazzulla added. "But as far as the whole, it doesn't change the curriculum or the things that we have to work or the things we have to get better at. It just adjusts a couple of the decisions that you make in a short-time period."

The team is coming off a dominant postseason run where it only lost three games, including in the NBA Finals. Aside from the overpowering offense, the team also showcased its two-way excellence by being an imposing defensive unit.

Jayson Tatum and the Celtics ranked fourth offensively (116.8) and third defensively (108.2) throughout the NBA Playoffs.

Despite being considered exhibition games with no effect on team record in the upcoming regular season, Mazzulla continues to showcase his "business as usual" approach to games with his comments. Regardless of any weight involved, the Celtics coach prefers to have his team maintain a high level of edge in any outings they play.