Jayson Tatum is getting ready for his second season with the Boston Celtics. It was a pretty successful first one for the Celtics, but if secondhand information is true his game made idol Kobe Bryant regret the Lakers passing on Tatum at last year’s NBA Draft.
Tatum modeled his game after Bryant’s and has claimed that he’s only playing basketball because of him. That influence is clear, as NBA skills coach Drew Hanlen pointed out in a video that put the two side by side.
My man @jaytatum0 is a bucket because he studies film & has spent YEARS perfecting his craft. Stole a lot of his best stuff straight from his idol @kobebryant #puresweatfam pic.twitter.com/woNmY9ou82
— Drew Hanlen (@DrewHanlen) July 15, 2018
Bryant was apparently shown the video by Hanlen, and according to the coach he asked why Tatum wasn’t taken by the Lakers second overall a year ago. In an interview with FS1’s Evan Daniels, Hanlen asked why the Lakers took Lonzo Ball with the pick over a guy who looks very similar to his own style of play (via USA Today).
“It was cool. We actually showed Kobe it yesterday, and he was like, ‘Why didn’t the Lakers draft him?’ Which was pretty funny after seeing that. Jayson idolized Kobe.”
Whether Bryant was joking or not is tough to say based on the sourcing, but it is interesting to consider a Lakers team with Tatum on it over Lonzo Ball. LaVar’s son struggled at times in his rookie season, and though LeBron James signed with the team it certainly is fascinating to consider a world where the two players may have swapped draft positions. Tatum did get a chance to workout with his idol recently, even though he’s a member of the hated Celtics.
For now, though, Tatum will have to just settle for that workout as well as some high praise from Bryant and video game makers rather than the role of Kobe’s heir in Los Angeles.
