BOSTON — Jayson Tatum continues to impress at 19 years old.
The Boston Celtics have asked a lot of the No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, and he’s delivered early in his career.
Tatum scored in double figures once again in the Celtics’ 108-97 win over the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden. The Duke product poured in nine of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, showing once again that the NBA stage isn’t too big for him.
With the Celtics leading by five in the fourth quarter, Tatum got Philly forward Amir Johnson on the switch and immediately asked for a clear out so he could take the former Celtics big man off the bounce.
Tatum went between his legs before crossing the veteran over and darting to the rim. He took the contact and finished the bucket without a foul call.
It’s moments like this that have shown Celtics fans and Tatum’s teammates that the rookie has the potential to be an other-worldly player when he hits his prime.
Kyrie Irving, who once upon a time was a 19-year-old NBA sensation, had nothing but praise for his young teammate and discussed how Tatum can continue to grow into the star everyone expects him to be.
“Just understanding the consistency that it takes to be a great player,” Irving said after the win. “It takes time to figure that out. The best way to do that is consistently preparing as best you can, understanding that you want to be great in your role. And in order to do that, you have to understand not only our offense and defense, but you have to understand plays and individual tendencies for your teammates, spots where you’re going to be getting the basketball, where you want to work on your game specifically because those are the spots you’re going to be getting the most shots or just finding the balance of trying to be aggressive and trying to be aggressive for the possession for you teammates.
“That’s a hard balance,” Irving continued. “Especially when you’re playing with other great players. But you know, he’s doing a great job just figuring it out every single day. He’s a high-level player, high-level mind, he’s mature beyond his years, so he’s always figuring it out on a day-to-day basis. He’s a rookie still, he still has a long ways to go, but presently now, he’s in a further place than most rookies are in this league. I’m happy about that, just want him to keep working, and I know he will.”
Irving has blossomed from a 19-year-old phenom into one of the best players in the NBA, and with his guidance, along with head coach Brad Stevens, Tatum can follow in Irving’s footsteps.
