Boston Celtics Jayson Tatum As A The NBA’s Future

Throughout his seven seasons in the NBA, Jayson Tatum has shown continuous growth in both skills and maturity, particularly during his time with the Boston Celtics.

Boston Celtics Jayson Tatum’s Career Success Through The Seasons

Boston Celtics Jayson Tatum has long been hailed as a future NBA star. The Boston Celtics star possesses a comprehensive set of skills in both attack and defense, and his playing style is even reminiscent of the late legend Kobe Bryant.

If we talk about Tatum’s weakness, it is that he relies heavily on 3-point pull-up shots. Any Celtics fan has to admit, that watching Tatum throw pull-ups is like riding a roller coaster. Sometimes it becomes a star moment, but there are also many times when the team loses the ball.

The good news for Celtics fans is that Tatum’s pull-up efficiency has improved significantly. All thanks to a small change by Tatum’s personal coach, Drew Hanlen.

Tatum has navigated through a variety of experiences, from setting an NBA record by scoring 55 points in the All-Star Game to facing the disappointment of losing in the NBA Finals despite holding a 2-1 series lead. As Kevin Durant observes the journey of the former Duke prospect, who was passed on twice before being drafted third overall by Boston in the 2018 draft, he has reached a conclusion: Tatum represents the future of the NBA.

Jayson Tatum and Durant faced each other in Phoenix.

“Man, I’ve been in this league a long time now and I know when it’s a passing of the guard,” Durant told reporters at Wednesday’s practice, per Duane Rankin of AZCentral. “I know when the young dudes are going to come in and do the same thing the older guys are doing. So he’s one of those guys I feel like he’s gonna control the league for the next 10, 12 years and be a staple in our game and history of our game. It’s just about competing and trying to go out there and be the best individual you can be because you can see the game pushing forward when you’re on the court with somebody like that.”

Durant has faced off against Boston Celtics Jayson Tatum on numerous occasions ever since Tatum made his debut on an NBA court.

In the summer of 2016, the Celtics harbored high hopes of signing Durant, as the former Oklahoma City Thunder star explored free agency options and entertained the possibility of joining Boston after a meeting. Fast forward eight years later, and the Celtics finally have their coveted franchise star in Tatum. At just 26 years old, Tatum has solidified his position as a legitimate MVP contender and currently leads the NBA with a remarkable 51-14 record, positioning the Celtics for another shot at securing Banner 18.

Most recently, Tatum and Durant faced off in Phoenix last Saturday night as the Celtics clashed with the Suns for the first time this season. Boston Celtics Jayson Tatum entered the game following two consecutive lackluster performances in losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets. However, in a closely contested matchup that nearly went down to the wire, Tatum made a pivotal decision: he requested Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla to play him for the entire second half. This strategic move paid off as Tatum managed to rack up 29 points, albeit Durant outscoring him with 45. Yet, Tatum’s contribution proved crucial in preventing the Celtics from enduring a third consecutive loss for the first time all season.

“The game was starting to get competitive and things like that. I just wanted to stay in,” Tatum told reporters after Boston’s 117-107 win over Phoenix, per CLNS Media video. “I don’t really say that many times but I just told Joe I wanted to stay in the rest of the game. It’s not like I do it all the time — this might’ve been, like, the second time I’ve done it all season. So it’s a feel thing. We trust each other, things like that.”

As the playoffs approach, Boston Celtics Jayson Tatum faces the ultimate challenge of putting into practice everything that has elevated the Celtics into a markedly stronger team compared to last season. With just 17 games remaining and Boston holding a commanding 9.5-game lead over the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference, the Celtics, soon to be tested in the postseason, will heavily rely on Tatum’s leadership to prevent a repeat of past playoff disappointments.

Is Jayson Tatum the league’s most complete player?

While it’s still early in the season, the MVP debates are already gaining momentum. It’s encouraging to hear Jayson Tatum’s name being frequently mentioned in these discussions. Ultimately, the narrative surrounding a player and their team’s performance in the standings will heavily influence the award outcome. We’ll be closely monitoring these developments throughout the season gifts for the sports fan.

Recently, I came across an interesting take that caught my attention. Michael Pina of The Ringer asserted that Boston Celtics Jayson Tatum is the Most Complete Player in the NBA in his premature awards discussion.

As a bona fide MVP candidate who would scoot past Luka in this very column if his supporting cast wasn’t so much more impressive than Doncic’s—whose best teammate this season has been Spencer Dinwiddie—it’s all coming together. Tatum has touch, footwork, every ballhandling counter in the book, and a brain that seamlessly combines all of it without wasting any movement. He’s taking 4.4 more free throw attempts than his career average and shooting 81.4 percent at the rim.

Again, this doesn’t mean he’s “better” than Doncic, Curry, or Jokic, but none are ever asked to guard the other team’s best player, or able to help (he’s currently averaging the same number of blocks per game as Jarrett Allen) like the conservatively measured 6-foot-8 Tatum can. This doesn’t mean he’s better than Giannis. But when defenses load in the paint, Tatum has no problem creating a high-percentage shot by himself from the perimeter, then reliably making eight (not six) out of every 10 free throws. (It’s hard to think of any other player better than Tatum right now.)

Said another way, Tatum is establishing himself as perhaps the best two-way player in the league. Luka and Jokic might have more of an impact on offense, but they are also the heliocentric hub of their team’s offense. By design or by necessity, they do everything for the team on offense. That can take you a long way with an MVP caliber player, but at some point it also leaves you vulnerable. Either a team figures out a game plan to slow them down in a playoff series or that player just flat-out wears down with the cumulative strain (see Harden, James). Those guys also aren’t exactly known for their defense either.

Giannis is a All-World defender and a pretty special offensive player in his own right. But Boston Celtics Jayson Tatum has a more well rounded offensive game. As Pina points out, Kawhi Leonard was the consensus best two-way guy previously, but injuries and load management have reduced his overall impact.

Regardless, it is sometimes hard finding new ways to explain how special Boston Celtics Jayson Tatum is as a player and this is a somewhat unique angle that I wanted to highlight.

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