The Boston Celtics: The Immaturity of Jayson Tatum

by
Former Writers
November 9, 2018

Palmux via Flickr

Maybe we expected too much. The pressure of being a 2nd option on a championship team is a lot for a 20-year old. Not only putting a team on your back, but a city. Many said Jayson Tatum was the next Kobe Bryant, and was ready to carry this Boston Celtics squad. Clearly, that is not the case.

The Boston Celtics were down by 20-points against the lottery-bound Phoenix Suns going into halftime. Tatum didn’t score a single point in the first half. When the Celtics mounted the best comeback in the NBA this season, he was nowhere to be seen. He was on the court, but he was useless. If it wasn’t for the all-time clutch performances of Kyrie Irving and Marcus Morris, the Celtics would’ve lost last night. Irving and Morris have been the only players who have shown up this season. Question is, when will the others show up?

The Mental Side of Basketball

As far as skill goes for both Tatum and Jaylen Brown, they have it all. Both are extremely talented in all facets of the game. However, the play from last night to point out is the blown layup by Brown that would’ve brought the Celtics to within 1. He did follow it up and eventually score, but then he sunk his chin into his chest and sulked. Tatum does the same exact thing.

The young guys aren’t playing with the confidence of last year. It seems that they’re so focused of trying to put up the same numbers from last year that they aren’t just playing basketball. Make the extra pass, take pride in playing defense, and cheer on your teammates. Tatum let T.J. Warren score 29-points on him. It’s inexcusable, and Brad Stevens will chew him out for it. Furthermore, it’s not just Tatum and Brown, but also Terry Rozier. It’s up to Stevens or other veterans to check the egos of the young players

Player of the Game: Kyrie Irving

Is it too early to chant M-V-P at TD Garden? The string of performances the crafty point guard out of Duke has put together is nothing short of incredible. Irving had 39-points in the contest, and without him the Celtics would’ve been blown off the floor last night. In addition to points made earlier, when Irving struggled early on in the season, he never hung his head or pouted. He is a leader for this team, and seeing him pick up the younger guys last night should be encouraging for all fans.

Kyrie Irving pours in 39 PTS to fuel the @celtics 22-point comeback! #CUsRise pic.twitter.com/4cKOSnDmPr

— NBA (@NBA) November 9, 2018

Honorable Mention: Marcus Morris

A Look Forward to the Next Game

The Celtics take on the Utah Jazz tonight in Utah. The big story in this game is that it is Gordon Hayward’s big return to Utah. Hayward played seven seasons with the Jazz before signing with Boston in the summer of 2017. Hopefully he gets a warm welcome in his return to Utah.