Boston Celtics stars shine bright: 3 takeaways from All-Star Weekend

Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum represented the Boston Celtics nicely in the 2020 NBA All-Star Game.

A year ago, Boston Celtics fans were dealing with all the Kyrie Irving drama and free agency speculation during NBA All-Star Weekend.  This year, fans got to sit back and enjoy two All-Stars representing the team’s current success and their future.

As Team LeBron outlasted Team Giannis 157-155 in an NBA All-Star classic game, both Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum played roles in making the game a memorable one.

On a night dedicated to the late Kobe Bryant, the stars really came out to play.

Kawhi Leonard took home the first NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant MVP Award and Chicago native Anthony Davis sealed the game at the free throw line in the 69th NBA All-Star Game.

In all, for Celtics fans, it had to be rather cool to hear Common introduce Tatum for Team LeBron and Kemba for Team Giannis.  It was extra cool to see both players involved in how the night went.  It was overall a nice weekend for the Green representing the franchise on the big NBA stage.

Here are three Boston Celtics related takeaways from NBA All-Star Weekend.

Tacko time in Chicago

The Tacko Fall hysteria made its way to NBA All-Star Weekend after all.

While being voted sixth among Eastern Conference frontcourt players by fans, the two-way Boston Celtics big man has become for of the more popular players not only in Boston, but throughout the NBA.

The 7-foot-6 big man hasn’t played many minutes on the court in the NBA, but the fact that he continues to be the center of attention no matter where he shows up is testament more to his character.  His size, however, does have much to do with it as he is a player you just can’t miss.

He is also a player who is hard to jump over, unless your name is Orlando Magic young star Aaron Gordon.

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As an NBA All-Star slam dunk contest gimmick, the very tall Tacko Fall was used as a target for Gordon to leap over for a dunk.  While he was successful, Fall wasn’t his first choice until the fans brought attention to him.

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"“I wanted to jump over Shaq.  He didn’t want to do it,” Gordon said following the event, as transcribed by the Boston Herald.  “It was really for the people.  Everybody was like ‘Tacko! Tacko!’ I was like, cool, man, let’s do it.  The tallest dude in the gym.  Jumping over somebody that’s 7-5 (in bare feet).”"

While it was cool to be involved in NBA All-Star Weekend festivities, Tacko Fall did admit he was scared to be actually voted into the game itself.  Fall said that he wanted to be involved through his hard work on the court and not simply voted in by fans.

That wouldn’t be fear to other players who are actually performing at an All-Star level, like teammate Jaylen Brown.

Jayson Tatum represents nicely

Though Jayson Tatum didn’t defend his Skills Challenge title the way he predicted it, being involved in NBA All-Star Weekend as an actual All-Star was the biggest accomplishment for the Boston Celtics young, rising superstar.

As part as the winning team, Tatum contributed with six points off the bench for Team LeBron, representing the Celtics nicely.

But what made the night extra special for Jayson Tatum, as well as the other NBA All-Stars on the court, was how the night belonged to Kobe Bryant.

With all of Team LeBron wearing No. 2 in honor of Bryant’s daughter Gigi and Team Giannis wearing No. 24 in honor of Kobe, Tatum was extra emotional to see his first All-Star Game jersey because of the influence Kobe Bryant had on his young career.

"“He was the reason I started playing basketball,” Tatum reflected, via NBC Sports Boston. “To have him reach out and try and help me, wanna work with me was something I would never forget.”"

That influence has been showing leading up to the All-Star game.  Jayson Tatum has really taken his star and has been shining for the Boston Celtics, highlighted by a 39-point performance in the last game heading into the All-Star break against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Again, just six points in his first All-Star appearance, but it really seems to be just the beginning for the Celtics young All-Star, who is certainly on his way to many All-Star appearances.

Kemba Walker shines

The more Kemba Walker plays, the more Boston Celtics fans are glad he is leading their team.

The future may belong to fellow teammate and All-Star Jayson Tatum, along with Jaylen Brown, but right now Walker is showing he’s the type of veteran All-Star the team needs to make a deep playoff push and perhaps a shot at a championship.

As a starter for Team Giannis, Kemba Walker turned some ankles and made some nifty passes in scoring 23 points and dishing out 3 assists.

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What was unexpected for Walker was the fact he played the entire fourth quarter tallying a total of 29 minutes on the court.

"“I wasn’t expecting it at all,” Walker said following the game, via Masslive.com.  “I was actually supposed to be on a minute restriction, but the game got too close.  I wanted to be out there.  I wanted to compete.  I knew down the stretch that it would get serious like that, and I wanted to be a part of it.”"

And that folks, is the competitive nature of Kemba Walker and why he has been such a value for the 2019-20 Boston Celtics.  It is also a reason he is the right kind of All-Star leader for young players like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

As he proved in the All-Star Game, he has no problem letting the players around him shine and doing what he needs to do to help his team win.

Oh, it’s going to be a very interesting second half of the NBA season Boston Celtics fans!