NBA
Jayson Tatum Called Next
Jayson Tatum is next! Book it! In a league full of bright young stars like Donavan Mitchell, Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, etc., Jayson Tatum is the one that may be the best of them all. Not only does he have the drive to be the best player he can be. He has the drive to dominate the NBA.
Tatum’s Rise
When the Celtics lost Kyrie Irving for the remainder of last season, most experts and analysts thought their season was over. The Celtics had already lost Gordon Hayward in the first game of season. Now as the East’s second seed, and the playoffs around the corner, the Celtics went from Championship hopeful a team nobody gave a chance to make it past the first round. Enter Jayson Tatum to take the lead.
The 2018 third overall pick burst onto the playoff scene against the Milwaukee Bucks with a double-double, scoring 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He consistently hovered around the 20 point mark throughout that series, capping it with a game seven 20 point performance to close out the series.
The Celtics faced the “Process” oriented Philadelphia 76ers in the second round. In game one of that series, Tatum scored a career high 28 points, becoming the first Celtics rookie to score 25 or more since Larry Bird accomplished the feat in the 1980 NBA Playoffs. Tatum upstaged fellow rookie and eventual rookie of the year Ben Simmons the entire series. Jayson and the Celtics defeated the favored 76ers in six games. For the first time, the entire NBA world realized Tatum was a force to be reckoned with.
Elite Company
In that series, Tatum placed his name in some esteemed company. Tatum (20 years, 61 days) bettered Kobe Bryant (20 years, 272 days) to become the youngest player ever to score at least 20 points in four consecutive games. Tatum also usurped Larry Bird’s Celtics rookie record, by scoring 20 points in five consecutive playoff games. After the playoffs were complete, he would join Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only rookies to record 10 games or more of 20 or more points.
A King’s Approval
The Tatum led Celtics played themselves within one game of the NBA Finals, suffering a heartbreaking loss to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in game seven. LeBron has terrorized the Eastern Conference for his entire career, but young Jayson Tatum seemed undaunted. He finished a thunderous slam dunk on King James to prove his arrival. After the series, LeBron rendered Tatum high praise, expressing “He’s built for Stardom”.
Next
Tatum may or may not develop into a generational talent. There are a lot of factors that can either foster that or hinder that. He is taking positive steps toward that though. He has been witnessed taking one on one tutoring from non-other than Kobe Bean Bryant. To be the best, learn from the best. He has that Mamba Mentality! Watch out NBA. The Jayson Tatum era is dawning!
