Boston Celtics: 3 reasons Jayson Tatum is ascending into an All-Star
The Boston Celtics have been balling early in the season and part of the reason is the improvement of Jayson Tatum, who is ascending into an All-Star.
When Kyrie Irving and Al Horford walked out that door, more pressure was put on the shoulders of Boston Celtics young duo Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to make that next step into All-Stars.
Well, quarter way through the 2019-20 NBA season and there is a pretty great argument for both being named to the All-Star team, particularly Tatum who has ascended his game and looking the part of an NBA All-Star.
Following a disappointing sophomore season in the NBA with expectations heightened due to his strong rookie season, Jayson Tatum has vowed to make his third season as professional basketball player one in which he achieves one of his ultimate goals of becoming an All-Star.
More from Boston Celtics
- 3 Most Underpaid Celtics Heading Into the 2023 Season
- Blake Griffin Angling Hard to Re-Sign With Celtics
- Game-by-Game Predictions for the Celtics’ 2023-24 In-Season Tournament Schedule
- Kristaps Porzingis’ Foot Injury is a Problem Despite Celtics’ Optimism
- Marcus Smart, Grant Williams and Ime Udoka all Returning to Boston on 2023-24 Schedule
"“Obviously, I wanted to make it last year, and that didn’t happen,” Tatum told Masslive’s Tom Westerholm following the team’s 110-88 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers Monday night. “I was disappointed in myself, I didn’t play nearly good enough to make it, and that was tough. I thought about that the entire season and this summer.”"
It was a tough season for the entire Boston Celtics team, a team that had the talent, but struggled to put it all together on the court. Both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were impacted by that as their play and roles seemed to diminish a bit due to the star power on the team.
This season, however, has been different. With the addition of Kemba Walker and Gordon Hayward playing like his former All-Star self, Tatum and Brown have been able to ascend their individual games influenced by the unselfishness of those players.
In that, the Boston Celtics dynamic young duo are playing looser while embracing the high expectations. Despite shooting just 41.5 percent from the field, Tatum is averaging 21.2 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game. That means he is taking more shots and is more aggressive driving to the hoop and doing his part on the boards.
The scary part is he is capable of shooting at a higher percentage. Once he does that, he becomes a harder player to stop. He is also still very young, and his game can only get stronger. That goal of becoming an All-Star in 2019-20 is very realistic and here are three reasons why Jayson Tatum is ascending into an All-Star.