Entering his third NBA season, the pressure is on Jayson Tatum to make the leap into an All-Star for the Boston Celtics in 2018-19.
Following what many consider a step back in his sophomore season in the NBA, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is ready to take that leap into stardom in his third season in the NBA.
With Kyrie Irving departing and the Anthony Davis trade sweepstakes leaving the Celtics in more of a reset, Danny Ainge is putting all his marbles in his young players led by Tatum.
A lot of pressure for a player still barely legal to drink, but with veteran players like Kemba Walker and Gordon Hayward on the team, the Duke product will have some support and players willing to take leadership roles while Tatum continues to grow into his potential.
After a strong rookie season, Jayson Tatum did increase his scoring average from 13.9 to 15.7 and also increased his rebounding average. Not bad progress, but overall Tatum was considered a bit of a disappointment in 2018 as was the entire team and that was mostly due to a lack of consistency.
Going into the 2019-20 NBA season, the expectations aren’t as high for the team overall, but the success of the Boston Celtics does lie on the shoulders of both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown growing into All-Star caliber players. More Tatum than Brown.
Already ranked as the 35th best player in the NBA in ESPN’s Top 100, it’s obviously how the rest of the NBA sees Tatum’s potential. Here are three keys to success in the upcoming 2019-20 for Jayson Tatum to live up to the hype.
Take the game into his own hands
The player who should benefit the most from the departure of Kyrie Irving is Jayson Tatum.
Although Kemba Walker is a volume scorer himself, he won’t dominate the ball like Irving did. That will leave more opportunity for Tatum to be more of an offensive force.
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Clearly, he will have to take the game into his own hands and be that player he showed glimpses of being during his rookie season and at times during the 2018-19 NBA season.
As is the theme with both Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward, Jayson Tatum has to be more aggressive and attack the rim. With his 6-foot-8, 208-pound frame and long wing span, the third-year Boston Celtics forward should be basically unstoppable when he drives the lane.
Not only does he have elite ballhandling skills to be able to create his own shot off the dribble, he has shown an ability to be a streaky jump shooter. It is when those shots aren’t falling that Jayson Tatum has to make the offense happen in other ways. That involves taking it to the hoop and at least getting to the free throw line to get himself back in the flow of the game and offense.
There were too many times during the 2018-19 season where Tatum was nonexistent on the offensive side of the court. There was a lot of whining to the officials when calls weren’t being made. He can’t allow those types of things take him out of the game.
Being assertive and aggressive will make for a much more effective Jayson Tatum in 2019-20.
Develop a low post game
Over the last two seasons, Jayson Tatum has been working on his strength.
In growing into his body, the Boston Celtics forward could become even more effective offensively by developing a nice low post game to compliment his range as a shooter. He can post up smaller defenders while taking bigger defenders off the dribble.
This would fit nicely with his ability to play the four if Brad Stevens wanted a lineup including Kemba Walker, Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown. Insert Marcus Smart in that lineup and Tatum could actually play the five.
That is where adding muscle would really benefit Tatum as well as the Celtics. His ability to defend down low would make that kind of lineup much more plausible and effective for Brad Stevens.
It will also make Jayson Tatum a more well-rounded player on both ends of the court. It will also help manifest him into that All-Star caliber player he is projected to be.
Keep growing
Along with growth physically, Jayson Tatum has to continue to grow mentally and in that become more of a leader on and off the court.
Though just 21 years of age, Tatum is suddenly one of the Boston Celtics players with the most experience in the system. Not only has he experienced the high success of the team like he did in his rookie season, he has also experienced the team’s drama when things didn’t work out.
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That right there should be a benefit for a young player with extreme talent. Seeing how hard work leads to success will certainly keep him humble and growing as a basketball player on and off the court.
Although he suffered a sprain ankle, his experience playing for Team USA in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 competition should also help his growth as a player.
Not to take anything away from Brad Stevens but being coached by Gregg Popovich during that time is also a value to Jayson Tatum.
"“The thing I talked about with Pop a lot was being able to dominate and have an impact on the game without necessarily scoring,” Tatum said during Media Day, as transcribed by WEEI. “Everybody has off nights, but how can you still find a way to be super dominant and affect the game in a positive way. And just making quicker decisions, playing faster, just getting to the basket more and not trying to settle.”"
Having an impact on the game without scoring will definitely factor into his success this upcoming season as well as the overall success of the Boston Celtics.
In summary, Jayson Tatum has to keep growing even when he feels he has reached the height of his potential. In other words, he can’t settle.