Jayson Tatum has drawn plenty of praise during his three-year NBA career, especially during his dominant stretch earlier this season for the Boston Celtics.
Marcus Smart has joined the chat.
Smart, while speaking with the media from the Auerbach Center on Tuesday, expressed his confidence in the 22-year-old All-Star.
“I think that he’s on the right track to becoming if not the best player, one of the best players to ever (play) this game,” Smart said, per the team.
Marcus Smart on Jayson Tatum: “I think that he’s on the right track to becoming if not the best player, one of the best players to ever [play] this game.”
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) July 7, 2020
Smart added how he thought the versatile forward’s defensive impact is underrated, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, and mentioned how Tatum’s progression has always been easy to see, even dating back to the 2018 postseason.
“The impact he had (in the 2018) playoffs, the confidence he played with, the mindset that he played with, you could definitely see that this guy was going to be special,” Smart said, per CLNS Media’s Josue Pavon.
The praise from Smart comes after NBA legend Scottie Pippen expressed optimism in Tatum’s game, saying he was “totally ready” to be the best player on a NBA title team.
Well, Tatum will have that chance as the Celtics get set for the NBA’s return in Orlando later this month.
