Boston Celtics rookie Jayson Tatum is lights out from downtown
Boston Celtics rookie Jayson Tatum is hitting nearly everything from behind the arc, and the rest of the NBA needs to take notice.
When the Milwaukee Bucks take on the Boston Celtics on Monday night, they should be keeping an eye on Jayson Tatum behind the three-point line.
Tatum has been lights out from deep to begin the season, leading the NBA among players with at least 50 attempts with a 49.3% shooting percentage from deep. He’s ahead of players like Chandler Parsons, Klay Thompson, Buddy Hield, Kyle Korver, Victor Oladipo, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James. That’s crazy.
If you take a look at just rookies, Tatum is even more impressive. He’s 11.1% better than the next best three-point shooter in the rookie class, OG Anunoby of the Toronto Raptors. Bulls rookie sensation Lauri Markanen sits at just 34.2% himself.
Tatum is simply putting on a show each night. He’s become Kyrie Irving’s go-to man in the fourth quarter, and the future looks extremely bright for the rookie. He should get some Rookie of the Year consideration if he can keep this performance up.
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Jayson’s teammates have recognized his skills in the final quarter as well. Jaylen Brown recently gave a shoutout to Tatum for just how well he has played in the 4th.
"“Especially for a rookie coming in, that’s been special. I feel like him and Kyrie, they kinda get going in the fourth quarter. We need those plays at the end. They’re tough shot-makers and have the ability to score like the top percentile of the league so, when they get going, it’s hard to stop them.”"
Right now, Tatum is 6th among all rookies in points per game at 13.8. He’s hitting 50.2% of his shots and averages 5.3 rebounds per game as well. Those are incredible numbers for a rookie.
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Boston is looking to contend for an NBA Title both this season and in the future, and Tatum will be a big piece of the puzzle for them. The Celtics should do everything that they can to hold on to him for the long haul, making him untouchable in any trade that may arise. Tatum could emerge as the next Celtics legend, and that’s not something Danny Ainge should be willing to move on from. Boston made the right choice in drafting Tatum over Fultz, so let’s trust the process as the Sixers say and make Jayson Tatum the focal point of the Celtics upcoming NBA title run.