The teacher is quite pleased with his pupil.
Jayson Tatum got to work out with Kobe Bryant this summer and learned a few tricks from the retired NBA legend. Tatum wasted no time showing off his improved repertoire Tuesday night, dropping a team-high 23 points in the Boston Celtics’ season-opening win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Among Tatum’s nastier moves was a mean step-back jumper that put Sixers defender Robert Covington on skates. It looks like Bryant was a fan of the move, judging by this tweet he posted Wednesday morning referring to that highlight:
#nasty @jaytatum0 good start. Keep it rollin #mambamentality https://t.co/DfqbMTxpYZ
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) October 17, 2018
When you’re 20 years old and one of the best pure scorers in NBA history is calling your moves “nasty,” you’re doing something right.
Of course, Bryant might be a little biased considering he trained with the second-year Celtics forward this offseason. But based on what we saw Tuesday night, Tatum appears right on track to blossom into an NBA superstar.
