Despite losing their two biggest stars for the majority of the season, the Boston Celtics still nearly made the Finals last season after pushing the Cavs to the brink of elimination.
That was largely because of their suffocating defense, as well as their depth, both engineered by basketball wunderkind Brad Stevens, whose ability to coax the very best performances out of his players up and down the roster is nearly unequaled in the modern NBA.
But it was also thanks to Jayson Tatum, the precocious rookie who played well beyond his years in the first postseason appearance of his career. Tatum lead the team in scoring throughout the playoffs and made huge plays down the stretch in hotly contested games. Tatum’s sensational rookie campaign brings lofty expectations for his sophomore season, as the Celtics are now the Eastern Conference favorites entering 2018-19.
So it wasn’t a surprise to learn that young Tatum took his cues from another teenage phenom who once set the league on fire when he first arrived. In a recent interview with Jake Fischer of SI.com, Tatum talked about what it was like to workout with his idol, Kobe Bryant, this summer and learn from one of the all-time great wing players in NBA history.
JT: The overall experience of interacting with him on a personal level—he’s my all-time favorite player—that really meant a lot to me. There were a few things he showed here and there that can help make it easier for me. But just being around him. His mindset that he had going into each year, just to always improve and not backtrack and get better each season as he wanted to continue to grow as a player.
But Tatum will find himself in a somewhat precarious position regarding his personal growth heading into next season. Both Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward are set to return by the start of training camp, which essentially means that Tatum will go from being a No. 1 option on offense to the third man on the totem pole.
Tatum, however, has already publicly expressed a willingness to come off the bench in order to sacrifice for the greater good. That’s a rare trait among stars of his caliber. It’s certainly admirable, though it could end up being to his detriment. The onus will obviously be on Stevens to work out the rotations so that they are both effective and keeping everyone content, and if anyone can do it, it’s him.
(SI.com)
