How Jayson Tatum chose to address Grant Williams' reckless foul

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum had a lot of time to think about how he wanted to address his conflict with Grant Williams to the media.

Tatum decided not to speak to reporters after Friday night's game when Williams delivered a blindside hit to the five-time All-Star that sent both of them crashing to the ground.

But when Tatum took the podium for the first time after Saturday's 113-103 win at Spectrum Center and had the chance to comment on the incident with Williams, he decided to move on from the topic to be completely ignored.

“I don’t really want to talk about it,” Tatum told reporters. according to Kayla Burton of NBC Sports Boston. “I was just preparing for the game today. We came to Charlotte and did what we were supposed to do. We’re going to Atlanta to try to win one more time before we go home.”

If Tatum was looking for some kind of revenge on Saturday, he barely showed it. The only time Tatum tried to get revenge on Williams was when he swung to the rim after a dunk and slammed forward into the Hornets. It was hard to tell if Tatum did this on purpose, though.

Tatum ultimately went about his usual business and finished the game with a team-high 29 points, buoyed by a 14-for-17 performance at the free throw line. He made just 1 of 9 3-pointers and committed five turnovers while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out three assists.

“For me it’s never about one person. “I understand who I am, who I am in this league, and I’m playing the right way,” Tatum said. “It’s not about a duel or anything. Just come out and try to dominate. Give my team the best chance to win and play the right way, whether it's scoring, rebounding or shielding other players. The goal is to make sure we have the best chance of winning. So it’s not about a situation without another person.”

The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn reported that Tatum and Williams spoke sometime after the incident and “Tatum appeared to still be upset but accepted Williams' apology.”

Tatum may be forgiving, but he certainly won't forget what happened. When the final buzzer sounded on Saturday, instead of mingling with opponents on the court, Tatum ran to the locker room, avoiding any possible encounter with Williams.