Jayson Tatum is in the midst of a tremendous rookie season and, even with full knowledge that he has taken a back seat to Ben Simmons and Donovan Mitchell at times during his maiden NBA voyage, sky-high expectations exist for the No. 3 overall pick. Recently, LeBron James effectively blessed Tatum in praising the youngster’s composure and talent and, in advance of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Tatum received an incredible compliment from Celtics legend Paul Pierce.
Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald brings word from Pierce, who predicted that the 20-year-old forward is “going to be one of the great players in Celtic history.” It’s lofty praise, but Pierce laid it on pretty heavily.
“He’s already off to such a great start,” said Pierce. “He’s mature beyond his years. He doesn’t look rattled by the moment.
“Sometimes you see rookies have problems when they get to this point. I saw Ben Simmons against the Celtics, and it looked like moment was too big for him. He was wide-eyed out there. He looked confused.
“I don’t see that in Jayson Tatum. And if he didn’t have a team full of guys who are really good players and with two All-Stars, he could easily have won Rookie of the Year. I think he’s just starting to see his potential. He’s just 20 years old and he has a long way to go, but he’s just scratching the surface of how great he can really be.”
Tatum has largely operated in a supporting role this season, allowing him to flourish from an efficiency standpoint alongside Kyrie Irving, Al Horford and others. However, Tatum’s role has expanded greatly in the playoffs and, while some of that is due to the absence of Irving (and Gordon Hayward), the first-year standout has taken things in stride and performed at a remarkably high level for his age.
In many ways, it makes sense that Pierce would praise Tatum and predict big things from the rookie. Still, comments like this can certainly place a great deal of pressure on the head of a player still growing into what he can eventually be. Fortunately, Tatum has off-the-charts talent and acumen that can allow him to live up to that considerable standard in the future.
(Via Boston Herald)
