Jayson Tatum is making a rapid ascension to superstar status before our very eyes.
Tatum no longer is the promising young swingman with high upside. He’s now the clear-cut, No. 1 option for a Boston Celtics team primed for a deep postseason run. And the scary part is, the third-year pro might only be scratching the surface of his full potential.
So, what has sparked Tatum’s recent surge? ESPN’s Zach Lowe believes it has something to do with the Duke product reaching a milestone.
“I also don’t think it’s 100 percent a coincidence that this super rise started almost right when he got named to the All-Star team,” Lowe said Thursday on “The Jump.” I think that took some pressure off him. I think he was pressing a little bit before that. I think it was important to him, it was important to Jaylen Brown and then I think, ‘OK, now I belong. That’s off my back. I’m ready to go.’ I don’t think it’s the reason, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence.”
Tatum’s All-Star selection was announced on Jan. 30. Since that date, he’s notched 25-plus points in 10 of 11 games played, including six performances of 30 points or better. For what it’s worth, he logged five showings of 30-plus points in the Celtics’ first 43 games and was held under 25 points in 29 of them. So yeah, Lowe could be on to something.
Regardless, if Tatum maintains this torrid pace, there’s a chance Boston could be playing in June.
