Back when the Boston Celtics drafted Jayson Tatum, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who expected him to have the role that he has right now. This is partly because of Gordon Hayward’s injury during the Celtics’ first game of the season, but also because he has just been better than anyone could have predicted based on what we saw out of him during his one year at Duke.
Tatum is far more composed than you’d expect out of any rookie, which has helped him turn into a dangerous scorer from all over the floor. It’s even caught the attention of LeBron James, who praised him during a media availability on Wednesday.
James believes the Celtic rookie has the potential to “become a great player,” saying that he possesses composure beyond his years, a common refrain from current and former NBA stars that have been impressed by Celtics rookie.
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Tatum has been impressive all postseason long, averaging 18 points per game over Boston’s 16 games. He’s taken a slight step back against the Cavaliers — Tatum’s averaging 15.5 points in the Eastern Conference Finals — but he’s still been good enough that he has a fan in the best player in the world. Of course, having a fan on the other team doesn’t mean much of anything once the games tip off, but it’s still a nice gesture.
