Following a successful rookie season, Boston Celtics rising star Jayson Tatum still has some things to improve on in his sophomore season in the NBA.
Jayson Tatum had a sensational season for the Boston Celtics.
The young phenom proved in the 2018 NBA Playoffs that he can be something special. That doesn’t mean there isn’t work to do. He’s still only 20 years old after all.
It seems like he just does everything really well, right? Especially when he started gaining more confidence as the season went on. No one is as excited at ceiling Tatum can reach than Celtics coach Brad Stevens.
In an interview on the Yahoo Sports NBA podcast, Stevens talked about Tatum as an effective scorer the offense can run through and what he needs to improve on to get even better.
"“I hesitate to ever say go through somebody, because sometimes the right play in this league is not to go through, it’s to kick it out and make the next right play,” Stevens said. “That’s the beauty of Jayson — he’s a good player, but he has so many areas that you can see can get a little bit better. But he’s working on them. He was able to manage that and still be one of the best players on the court through a lot of those playoff games.”"
However, the young stud isn’t quite polished yet. Here are three main parts of Tatum’s game he can improve on this season.
1. Add physicality on defense
Jayson Tatum was better than advertised on the defensive end. The rookie turned into quite the shot blocker as the season went on, which was a really cool surprise.
Especially after battling LeBron James in the Eastern Conference Finals. He’ll be stronger this year, which means he can hold his own better against bigger guys.
I, as well as Stevens want a more aggressive Tatum on the defensive side of the ball. He’s capable of getting into passing lanes and staying in front of his man a little better. I’d expect a nice defensive jump from Tatum this season.
Also, battling guys like Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier and Marcus Morris in practice for a second straight year is a great challenge.
2. Add a post-up game
Jayson Tatum showed us some impressive moves in the postseason. One of my favorite things was seeing how fearless he was, especially down on the post. He wasn’t as strong in his rookie season as he will be this coming season.
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What does this mean?
It means Tatum will not only be in the post more, but he’ll go down there against anyone. The muscle he’s going to have will make him much more difficult to guard, and be even savvier when he’s down on the block. Also, after a summer of working with Kobe Bryant, look out for some new post moves.
Trainer Drew Hanlen showed Kobe clips of Tatum mimicking his moves. Kobe went as far as to ask ‘Why didn’t the Lakers draft him?’ when referring to Tatum. Lonzo Ball was drafted by LA one spot ahead. I know there are plenty of fans that are upset or bothered that Tatum is working with Bryant.
Really though, I think it’s super cool. Kobe is one of the greatest of all time, no matter who he played for. It’s exciting to see one of our young guys getting mentored by him. Tatum even posted a picture on his Instagram with the caption “How much does it mean to you?”
Kobe is challenging Tatum and from what we know about Duke product, he’s extremely competitive. I can’t wait to see this translate into the regular season.
3. Become a leader
The Boston Celtics are not a team that is short on leaders. Al Horford, Kyrie Irving, Marcus Smart. I could go on, however, Tatum should be on that list by season’s end. Not necessarily off the court, as he’s still one of the youngest guys on a Boston Celtics team full of experienced veterans.
On the court though, I’d like to see the rising young star take more control. I’d expect this to happen more so with the second unit, but wouldn’t be surprised if he had more of a voice by the postseason.
Put Jayson Tatum in there against second unit guys and watch him work. He can add a huge boost to the bench if needed.
This will add another dimension to Jayson Tatum’s already dynamic play.