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:
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.
