Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has made the leap to superstardom in the 2019-20 season, and included in that rise was his first NBA All-Star Game appearance.
Tatum was chosen as one of the reserves from the Eastern Conference before ultimately being drafted by Team LeBron. The 22-year-old is averaging 23.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, while also shooting 39.8 percent from 3-point range.
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Keith Smith of SB Nation's "Celtics Blog" spoke to several executives and scouts from around the league about various C's topics, and one anonymous Western Conference exec was particularly bullish on Tatum's future.
Love him. Love everything about him. He was the top guy on our board too. It would have been (Markelle) Fultz, but we had guards. Jayson Tatum was an All-Star this year, right? It’s going to be a decade or more before we see him miss another one. The best part? He got better after the All-Star game. That tells me he really wants it.
He needs to get stronger and fill out some more. That’ll help him around the rim. It’ll also help him rebound better. And he’s just figuring out passing. I don’t think he’s ever been asked to do anything but score in his life. But those things come for young kids. Danny (Ainge) hit a grand slam with that trade and pick.
Ainge really did hit a grand slam in that 2017 trade with the Philadelphia 76ers. He swapped the No. 1 overall pick for the No. 3 pick (Tatum) and a future first-rounder that ended up being C's rookie Romeo Langford. Fultz hasn't come close to meeting expectations due to injury, and the Sixers gave up on him last year when they traded the young point guard to the Orlando Magic.
The point the exec made about Tatum improving after the All-Star break was pretty interesting. A lot of young players might relax a bit after accomplishing a goal like being named to the All-Star Game for the first time, but Tatum hasn't slowed down one bit. He's averaging 29.9 points per game and shooting 46.8 percent on 3-pointers since the All-Star Game.
Tatum has emerged as the Celtics' best player in his third season, and if the 2019-20 campaign resumes, this team will go as far as he takes it.