Boston Celtics set the pace in Indiana: 3 reasons fans are smiling

The aggressiveness in Jayson Tatum

In leading all scorers with 22 points, second-year forward Jayson Tatum had himself a night.

He did it from the outside and he did it by driving to the hoop.  Most importantly, Tatum showed that the Boston Celtics actually have a big four by sparking the team’s second quarter run by scoring 11 of those 22 points.

Jayson Tatum also erupted the bench and all of NBA Twitter with this dunk on the whole state of Indiana:

This is the version of Tatum the Celtics need to make a deep playoff run.  As important as Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward and Al Horford are to the team’s success, an aggressive player with the length and athleticism the emerging second-year rising star has will make the Boston Celtics a tough team to beat in the playoffs.

Like Paul Pierce said when talking about what would take Jayson Tatum to the next level, taking it to the rim really opens things up for his offensive game as well as open things up for others on the court.

The aggressive style Tatum has shown as of late just makes him tough to defend as he is able to create his own shot off the dribble and take some of the pressure off Kyrie Irving during important stretches of the game.

But that dunk Friday night will have fans smiling well into the playoffs.