Can you believe it's been three years since the Boston Celtics selected Duke forward Jayson Tatum with the No. 3 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft?
The C's originally had the No. 1 pick in that draft, but team president of basketball operations Danny Ainge traded it to the Philadelphia 76ers for the No. 3 pick and a future first-rounder (Romeo Langford in 2019 at No. 14 overall).
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The Celtics took Tatum at No. 3, just after the 76ers selected Markelle Fultz at No. 1 and the Los Angeles Lakers picked Lonzo Ball at No. 2. In fact, Tatum is the only one of the top four picks still playing for the team that drafted him.
Tatum has become the best player from this draft class and one of the league's premier young players.
He enjoyed a fantastic rookie campaign, highlighted by him leading the Celtics in scoring during their 2018 playoff run that came up just a single win short of an NBA Finals berth. After a mediocre sophomore season, Tatum's breakout has come in 2019-20. He made his first All-Star Game appearance and was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for February. He's emerged as the team's best player, it's go-to scorer late in games and an excellent defensive player, too.
Tatum is on his way to superstardom -- some might argue he's already reached that level -- and the Celtics should continue to benefit from his excellent two-way play for many years to come.