Amid his cross-country travels to promote his recently published book, personal NBA trainer Drew Hanlen has gushed plenty about his client’s workout regimens, their games and potential.
In between those stops, Hanlen spoke extensively to Sportskeeda about Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum. Among the topics: how Hanlen tried to test Tatum during their first workout together, Tatum building off last year’s NBA title run and where Hanlen believes Tatum’s legacy will become whenever his career ends.
“I think he has a Hall-of-Fame resume already at 26 years old. I think he hasn’t even scratched the surface of his prime yet. I think we’re watching one of the greatest basketball players ever to play the game. When it is all said and done, I think he will be mentioned as one of the best basketball players that has ever played.”

Hanlen shared other bits of insight about Tatum as well as his book, “Stop Bull---- Yourself: A Proven System to Help You.”
Explore the NBA Draft 2024 with our free NBA Mock Draft Simulator & be the GM of your favorite NBA team.
Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed.
What did you feel was important to share about Tatum in the book?
Hanlen: The coolest thing about the book to me is Joel [Embiid] and Jayson wrote the forewards. Jayson opens up and talks about the first workout that we ever had with each other. It’s really cool. He said, ‘I’ll never forget our first workout because he tried to kill me. Drew thought I was too young to take on as a full-time client so he put me through one of the toughest workouts I’ve ever done just to test my mental toughness and to see if I’d quit. I’m not going to lie. I had to leave the gym a few times to throw up, but I wasn’t going to let him break me. At the end of the workout, Drew invited me back for another session the next day, and we’ve been working together ever since.’
Jayson opens up about how tough the first workout was for him mentally and then he talks about the process of picking at one thing at a time and locking in on the smallest details and perfecting every little detail until he mastered that certain thing and added it to his game. There’s also a story about me encouraging Jayson to be more arrogant and more aggressive. It talks about his junior year losing out on a state championship because he wasn’t aggressive enough. His team had a 13-point lead with four minutes and 48 seconds remaining in the third quarter. But Jayson only scored three points in the last 12 minutes and 12 seconds, while the other team went on a 30-14 run to close the game. The biggest reason was the other team started doubling Jayson. After that, we worked on his mentality with trying to never let that happen. Fast forward the following year in the state championship, Jayson had 27 points in the first half. The other team had 26. It’s so important with the mindset. The coolest thing in the book is that I share a ton of stories from not just Jayson, but my All-Star clients. There’s a story about Zach LaVine in pre-draft, a story about Bradley Beal when he was younger and stories about Joel when he started out. That’s the coolest thing. People get to read all of these untold stories.”
With Tatum, what was your recollection of his first workout with you?
Hanlen: “It was at Shrewsbury City Center where I grew up practicing and playing [in St. Louis] where I took Bradley Beal and David Lee so many times. I brought Tatum to the gym. There is no air conditioning. I remember I did not care about teaching him one thing. I literally just wanted to see how much he could take. So everything was nonstop. Everything was full speed. Everything was pushing him and defending him. I really was just challenging him. I remember him leaving a few times and I said, ‘Hey, if you need a drink, not if you want a drink, but if you need a drink, you’re welcome to go outside. But if not, just push through.’ I remember a couple of times he was like, ‘ Is it okay if I grab a drink?’ At the time, I didn’t realize that he felt like he needed to throw up. That shows you how good he was.”
Did he plow through it?
Hanlen: “He left the gym a few times, but he came right back. I was so impressed. I thought he is different. That’s why I ended up taking on him as a client. That’s why I’ve been working with him ever since. I remember his mom calling me 15 minutes after the workout. She said, ‘Drew, you’re going to love this. Jayson just called me and said they were going to have to carry me off the court before I would give up.’ That to me always stuck out. I thought that was really cool.”
During your book tour, you shared footage of the only time that Jayson worked out with Kobe and it looked like he was going over post-up work and being detail oriented about it. What do you remember about that play-by-play with Kobe?
Hanlen: “It was a great experience. Obviously, Jayson grew up idolizing Kobe. We both grew up studying Kobe. From the first time I ever worked out with Jayson, there were so many aspects of Kobe’s game that we had watched on film and worked on the court. To be able to be there with him and give little details and nuances, that was really great. For Jayson to be able to tap into Kobe’s mentality was truly a full circle moment for someone who grew up falling in love with the game of basketball because of Kobe Bryant.”
What were the little details and nuances that Kobe shared?
Hanlen: “I think the biggest thing was about mindset. I really do. Everything he did was very strategic. He talked about, ‘If you post up at the elbow, then these are the coverages that can contain you. But if you sink down to the midpost, then these are the coverages that can contain you. If you drop down to the baseline, these are the coverages that can contain you. He was saying, ‘If you’re in this spot, this is what you should look for. If you’re in this other spot, this is where you should manipulate your teammates.’
It was less about the moves because every move that Kobe threw at Jayson, Jayson had already worked on and mastered. Kobe was impressed with Jayson’s ability to do everything literally that was normally new for people when they first got to work out with Kobe. But for Jayson, he had checked off all of those boxes. Then the workout became less about ‘here are the skills that you need to work on’ and more about ‘here is how you manipulate defenses and here is how you move around your teammates so it’s easier for you.’ When you look at Jayson’s game now? When Jayson came in, one of his knocks in the pre-draft process was that some quote-unquote experts worried that Jayson would be a scorer, but not a guy that made his teammates better. That’s what Kobe talked about – you have to be able to impact the game in ways beyond just scoring. I think that helped him win a championship last year. I think that’s what has allowed him to grow and improve into the player that he is now.”
How do you compare Jayson’s All-Star caliber season coming off the championship run to his other seasons?
Hanlen: “I think the biggest thing is his maturity. Winning a championship has always been the goal. I think once he won the championship, it relieved some of the pressure of, ‘Can I do it?’ It switched it to, ‘Can I do it again?’ and ‘Can I sustain this?’ It’s a different mentality. There are games such as when he played against Philadelphia last week and had a 15-point triple double. But he didn’t care to press for scoring. All he cares about is winning. I think Jayson realized in the process of winning a championship, everyone thinks that once you get it done that all the doubters and all the haters and all the naysayers are going to go away. But in Jayson’s case, they got louder. That’s when he realized that it doesn’t matter. ‘I’m not playing for them. I’m playing to prove to myself, my supporters and to the people that care about me and love me. I’m playing to prove them right and show them what I’m really capable of doing.’ Like all players, some of that negativity fuels you. But you’ve seen this year that Jayson is ignoring the negativity and focusing on doing everything he can to help his team win games and ultimately get back to where he was last year.”
Let’s drill down the specifics. How did you see him handle the potential negative things with not winning Finals MVP and the DNPs during the Olympics?
Hanlen: “I think the biggest thing is he just focused on what he can control. Jayson led his team in points, rebounds and assists. He was the sixth player to do that with winning a championship and leading your team in all three of those categories. With the Olympics, everyone that watches basketball knows that Jayson Tatum should’ve been playing in the Olympics. For him not to, that was frustrating. But again, you control what you can control. It’s another learning lesson among a career-long process to improve and try to become a better version of yourself.”
What enabled him not to go down the other route with feeling jealous of Jaylen [Brown] for winning Finals MVP and fuming publicly or privately with Steve Kerr over his lack of minutes in the Olympics?
Hanlen: “At the end of the day, giving attention to something that you can’t control does nothing for you. It doesn’t move you forward. It only holds you back. Jayson has always poured his energy into everything that moves him forward. The only thing that he cares about is hanging banners in Boston. He knows at the end of his career, people will look up and have to appreciate all he has been able to accomplish. That’s the only thing that he has given time and attention to. He’s only thinking about things that can propel him forward instead of things that can potentially hold him back.”
To your point about his new mindset shifting with trying to win his first championship and now trying to defend it, how long did you see the championship glow last for him?
Hanlen: “Not long. I think that night was very fun. That night was very awarding because they finally won it. Jayson always talks about how the parade was one of the best days of his life with being able to actually have that sink in. It hit him that he was a champion and actually won it. But right after that, it was back to work. He went to the Olympics and won another gold medal. But there was some disappointment and frustrations throughout the Olympics. But right after the Olympics, he went to China for Jordan Brand and he texted me that he needed me in Boston when he lands. He was like, “Let’s get back to work.’ So once he landed, we started two-a-days that week. That just tells you where he’s at in his career. He knows that he has not touched his prime yet. He just wants to keep doing everything that he can to improve so he can become the best version of himself.”
What did the two-a-day sessions look like?
Hanlen: “We were making sure that we were tightening up a couple of things on his mechanics. That was the main thing. On his off dribble, we wanted to tighten a few things on his mechanics. That’s the best way to put it.”
I know in other interviews that you stressed it’s a little overboard to say that Jayson had to correct a hitch on his shot. But what are the nuances you all did to change the mechanics?
Hanlen: “We know Jayson shoots it really, really well when he has a straight-ball path, which means he keeps the ball in his right side instead of circling the ball. We know he shoots it really, really well when he shoots it on the way up. We know that he shoots really, really well when he maintains his balance. So we just got back to doing those things. It wasn’t like we went in and rebuilt his shot. It wasn’t like we made big changes. We just locked in on the things that we know always worked for him to make sure that he felt comfortable going into the season.”
When the Celtics were in LA, Jayson said to me, “I just try to get better every year. There’s a lot of things I want to accomplish. There’s a lot of things I want to do. And there’s so much more to get better at.” Beyond winning more titles, what are the things on his bucket list that he wants to accomplish?
Hanlen: “To be honest with you, that’s it. I know that his fans want him to selfishly chase individual accolades, whether it’s scoring titles or MVPs. But Jayson knows at the end of the day that banners hang forever. He’s trying to hang as many banners as he can. And in the process, he’s going to put together one of the best basketball careers of all time. One day, fans will appreciate his body of work if he continues on the same trajectory that he is on.”
How have you seen Jayson manage this season coming off the title run and deal with almost every opponent giving him their best shot?
Hanlen: “When you’re watching the games, you can see how focused other team’s game plans are to try to stop Jayson. You’ve seen his maturity with being able to accept double teams and put his teammates in great situations. I think that is the biggest growth that I’ve seen. He’s shown maturity with trying to figure out different ways to win games. In some games, that might mean going out there and scoring a bunch. In other games, that might mean accepting double teams and letting your teammates play off of 3-on-2 and 2-on-1 situations and letting them benefit off of your gravity.
I think that’s the biggest thing I’ve noticed. It’s his gravity. Every year, it has gotten bigger and bigger. His playmaking and decision making has gotten better. That has really allowed him to be able to manipulate the game in a bunch of different ways to contribute to success. A lot of it is his maturity. He’s always been a really good passer. He’s always been a good decisionmaker. His mentality has always been on winning games. But how you win games is also important. The only thing that matters is winning games. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to win games. He understands that different games call for different things.”
You had told ESPN at the beginning of the season that we should compare Jayson’s resume at his current age to what MJ, LeBron and Steph accomplished at the same age. How do you put his current resume in perspective?
Hanlen: “I think he has a Hall-of-Fame resume already at 26 years old. I think he hasn’t even scratched the surface of his prime yet. I think we’re watching one of the greatest basketball players ever to play the game. When it is all said and done, I think he will be mentioned as one of the best basketball players that has ever played.”
You had tweeted recently why you disagree on people who think the current game is in a bad place. Can you further explain why you feel that way?
Hanlen: “The game of basketball is in a great spot because the players are more skilled, more talented and better than they ever have been before. There is fair criticism that the players’ availability has decreased. There is a fair criticism that not every regular season game has the same intensity and toughness that it may have had back in the day. There is fair criticism that modern offenses are so analytically driven that the shot profile is more consistent across all teams instead of diversified as it was back in the day. I think those are all fair criticisms. But the players are better than they’ve ever been. They are more skilled than they have ever been. The shot-making is at a higher level than it’s ever been.
If you go watch games in the 1990s, it’s night and day how much better basketball is from a skill and talent standpoint. There are fair criticisms around the game today as far as every team trying to mimic the same shot profile with getting a high volume of 3s, high volume of layups and trying to get to the free-throw line. I think fans appreciated more of the diversity of shot profiles and systems offensively. There is a fair criticism that the load management and availability of star players is not as high as it used to be. There is a fair criticism because we want to see the best players competing on a night-in and night-out basis. But the truth is the players are more skilled, more talented, have better moves and are better shot makers. They’re overall better than they ever have been before, so I think the game of basketball is in a healthy spot.
I just think too many people want to criticize every single night instead of looking at the NBA in a holistic way with how far the game has grown from a skill and talent level as well as an international and global level. The game has more international players than ever before. We have to get back to positivity and celebrating the great athletes that we have and celebrating the way the skill level has grown and appreciating all of the hard work that these guys put in to become the best basketball players in the world instead of negatively criticizing every single thing that we don’t love about the game.
You had another tweet sharing that your favorite Tatum performance was in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Beyond the obvious stakes and the stats, what made his Game 5 so special compared any of his other great performances?
Hanlen: “Jayson has had a bunch of 50-point games. He had a 60-point game. He had Game 6 [of the 2022 Eastern Conference semifinals] against Milwaukee where he had 46 [points]. He had 57 [points] in a. Game 7. There are a lot of memorable JT games. But to close out an NBA Finals with all of the pressure and the heightened moment to do so in a dominating fashion was just so special. If he really needed to push if the game wasn’t out of hand, that could’ve been a 40-point triple double. But I think that was an overall game offensively and defensively, scoring, rebounding, playmaking, everything. It really showed his growth as a player.”
And then you had another tweet where you took issue with Jayson not getting All-Star MVP.
Hanlen: “I thought this year’s All-Star format was the worst we’ve seen in a while. I don’t personally put much stock in this year’s All-Star game. But seeing that JT went 6-for-7 from the field and had 15 points, I thought he was very deserving of winning All-Star MVP. There was a very funny clip of Steph [Curry] turning to Jayson after they announced Steph as MVP and he was saying, ‘This is a lifetime achievement award.’ Anybody that was in JT’s corner would’ve said he’s very disserving of winning MVP.”
What issues did you have with the new format?
Hanlen: “I don’t think that ‘Rising Stars’ should be sharing the stage with the All-Stars on Sunday night. I think that you work so hard and dream of becoming an All-Star your entire life in your NBA career. For people like first-time All-Stars, they didn’t get to share the floor with Steph and KD. That’s what All-Star should be. It’s about celebrating the best 24 players in that given season. I think the tradition of having the best players out on the court and sharing one floor at one time is what All-Star is all about
I understand the last couple of years that games have been less competitive. But I also think it’s the nature of the game. If you go back and watch previous All-Star games, the first three quarters were never competitive. It was always a dunk fest. Then it turned into a competitive game at the end because it was a close game. Nowadays the problem is, instead of a dunk fest, it has become a 3-point fest. So the numbers can go high or low depending on shooting percentages. But my biggest thing is that All-Stars should be celebrated with the 24 players that earned the recognition. All of the best players are sharing one court at the same time, if they want it to be an All-Star game. If they want go do something like the ‘4 Nations’ in the NHL and get away from the All-Star game, that’s totally fine. But don’t call it an All-Star game if it includes a tournament that has ‘Rising Stars’ because they’re not All-Stars. They tried to make a change because they were disappointed in the previous years’ games. But I think if they’re going to keep an All-Star game, they need to do away with the ‘Rising Stars’ to be a part of it.”
Given that it’s in the news, is there any perspective you can give on Joel, and where he goes from here his knee?
Hanlen: “Yeah, I can’t really say much because I know too much on that. I want to leave that one off.”
How has the book tour gone so far?
Hanlen: “The book tour has been great. We started off in Philadelphia. I had a couple of my Sixers guys come out. Next night, we did Boston with Jayson and then I went back to St. Louis to spend time with family and friends and old teammates. Then I went out to All-Star and did a couple of activations out in San Francisco. So the tour was good. Now I’m getting ready to go on a clinic tour just to work with a lot of the players all across the country that have supported the book.”
What are you doing with the clinic tour?
Hanlen: “I’m in New York this weekend. Then I’m going to Fort Pierce, Florida. I’m going to Bloomington, Illinois. I’m going to Denver,. I’m going to San Francisco. I’m going to Carterville, Illinois, San Antonio. Philly. New Jersey. Boston and Portland, Maine. Basically, I’m doing a bunch of clinics with a bunch of the players and high school programs that purchased books. The book is so much about how anyone, whether they’re a player or a person how anyone can eliminate their excuses, remove the original strings that are holding them back and move forward. There is so much about improving their mentality and improving their execution. But the clinic tour is more so about me getting on the court with them and teaching them the skills and drills that they need to be working on if they want to improve their game.”
Beyond what we already discussed with Tatum, what didn’t we cover that you think is important to add about his season and the work you’ve put in with him?
Hanlen: “The biggest line in his foreword is very important: ‘When the great ones get to the top of the mountain, they keep climbing.’ I think that’s what my job is all about. It’s about helping the best players in the world constantly find ways to keep reinventing themselves so they can keep getting better. Jayson says that’s what the book is about. It’s about constantly reevaluating your life and realizing there’s always another level. So I just think that’s the cool thing that some people don’t understand. These guys don’t look at the top of the mountain as the peak. They just constantly try to strive for more.”
Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.
Boston Celtics Nation! You can check out the latest Boston Celtics Schedule and dive into the Celtics Depth Chart for NBA Season 2024-25.