The Boston Celtics earned an impressive 126-115 win over the rival Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas, concluding their four-game West Coast road trip with a 3-1 record.
Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum played a leading role in the victory against the Lakers with 25 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and one block in 41 minutes. He also hit 12 of his 13 free throw attempts.
But it wasn't Tatum's offense that has impressed Lakers head coach Darvin Ham. It's the work Tatum has made as a defender and becoming a more well-rounded player since entering the NBA in the 2017-18 campaign.
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“Jayson and Jaylen (Brown) are both long, athletic wings that play hard and can cause you to get into some bad spaces,” Lakers head coach Darvin Ham told reporters after his team's loss to the C's. “I think Jayson Tatum doesn’t get enough credit for how good of a two-way player he really is. He is a really smart defender.”
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Tatum's length and athleticism allows him to defend on the perimeter at a high level and gives him the versatility to guard pretty much every position. He's also one of the best rebounders on the Celtics and is on pace to average more than eight boards per game for the third consecutive season.
Tatum's excellent defense is among the reasons why the Celtics rank No. 3 in opponent points scored per game, No. 4 in opponent field goal percentage, No. 4 in blocks per game and No. 5 in defensive rating.
The Celtics are one of just two teams to be ranked top five in both offensive and defensive rating this season. The other team is the Philadelphia 76ers, but the Celtics have played a much tougher schedule so far.