Greatness recognizes greatness, and Paul Pierce thinks Jayson Tatum is great.
During the Boston Celtics’ current postseason run, Tatum has been nothing short of stellar, and deservedly has drawn the attention of those everywhere.
When the 20-year-old was selected by the Celtics out of Duke in the 2017 NBA Draft, he drew a few comparisons to Pierce. But in an interview with the Boston Herald, the Celtics legend indicated that Tatum is on his way to eventually becoming one of the best players in Celtics folklore.
“I think he’s going to be one of the great players in Celtic history,” Pierce told the Herald’s Steve Bulpett.
Pierce then expounded on his reasoning.
“He’s already off to such a great start,” Pierce said. “He’s mature beyond his years. He doesn’t look rattled by the moment.
“Sometimes you see rookies have problems when they get to this point. I saw (Philadelphia 76ers rookie) Ben Simmons against the Celtics, and it looked like moment was too big for him. He was wide-eyed out there. He looked confused.
“I don’t see that in Jayson Tatum. And if he didn’t have a team full of guys who are really good players and with two All-Stars, he could easily have won Rookie of the Year. I think he’s just starting to see his potential. He’s just 20 years old and he has a long way to go, but he’s just scratching the surface of how great he can really be.”
Now that’s some high praise.
Indeed, Tatum has thrived in lieu of cowering during the big moments this spring. And with the Celtics leading their Eastern Conference finals series against the Cleveland Cavaliers three games to two, they’ll need him to continue to maintain that composure in order to advance.
