Stephen A. Smith Believes Celtics’ Jayson Tatum In Elite Company

ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo discussed on “First Take” Wednesday morning if Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum belonged on the list of top 10 players in the NBA.

The debate about it? One talking head believed Tatum belonged in that conversation while the other thought the Celtics All-Star was on the outside looking in.

Smith, in his prototypical passionate fashion, provided an ample amount of support for Tatum making his way onto that list.

“He’s just getting started,” Smith said to Russo. “… The guy is knocking at the door and you’re knocking him. He’s 24. … The brother has a J. He can shoot threes. He can shoot a mid-range game. He can finish at the basket. He can finish in the open court. He’s got a handle. And by the way, you were talking about how well Tatum defended Kevin Durant in the clutch.”

Tatum, who just turned 24 in March and is in his fifth season in the league, was named an All-Star for the third time this season and was selected to the All-NBA Third Team for the 2019-20 campaign. The 6-foot-8, 210-pound forward finished this regular season by averaging a career-high 26.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.

Tatum, the No. 3 overall pick in the the 2017 NBA Draft, has clearly climbed the ladder of the NBA’s hierarchy and Smith thinks he has done enough on the court to have his name included in the top 10 conversation.

“Jayson Tatum is a big-time basketball player at age 24 and there’s an argument that (he) could be top 10,” Smith said. “You might give me 10 names then he’d be (No.) 11. You might give me nine names then he’ll be 10. You might give me eight names then he’ll be nine.”