Boston Celtics: 1 ingredient Jayson Tatum brings to the championship table

Can Jayson Tatum lead the Boston Celtics to an NBA championship at the age of 22? He certainly has this main ingredient that suggests he could.

On the brink of a max deal, Boston Celtics third year rising star Jayson Tatum is one player with a lot to prove when the NBA restarts in the Disney bubble in late July.

The main question surrounding the Duke product is can he be the best player on a championship contender?

NBA legend Scottie Pippen answered that question absolutely believing Tatum has what it takes.  Bleacher Report, however, has Tatum’s ability to lead the Celtics to a championship at such a young age as a major question mark ahead of the NBA restart.

More from Chowder and Champions

• 3 Midseason Chaim Bloom Decisions That Have Killed the 2023 Red Sox
• 10 Patriots Who Will Be Cut by Tuesday’s Roster Deadline
• MLB Screws Red Sox Fans With Broadcast for Mookie Betts Return
• 3 Most Underpaid Celtics Heading Into the 2023 Season
• Red Sox Continue Rollercoaster Season With Massive Win

Here is what Greg Swartz writes in the article highlighting the biggest question mark surrounding very NBA team:

"“Before the hiatus, the All-Star forward was averaging 30.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.0 blocks and was shooting 47.1 percent from three over his last 10 games. While Tatum has proved himself as the best player on a top-three team in the Eastern Conference, that’s a big step away from leading a squad to a title.”"

In the article, Swartz goes on to highlight Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan and Magic Johnson as the three youngest NBA Finals MVPs at the age of 23 and younger, so age alone is not a factor in Tatum’s ability to lead an NBA championship contender.

Jayson Tatum can be the Boston Celtics best player on both ends of the court.

While the Duke product certainly doesn’t have the resume of those three stars yet, the one ingredient he has is that has is a two-way threat who can impact a game on the offensive end of the court as well as the defensive end of the court.

With a surrounding cast that includes a high-level scorer like Kemba Walker and two other All-Star level players in Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward able to get hot and pick up the scoring, there is not a lot of pressure on Jayson Tatum to be the team’s top offensive force on any given night.

As we seen prior to the NBA going on hiatus, Tatum has the ability to score from anywhere on the court.  When he gets hot, he is a hard player to defend which opens up the court for his teammates.  If his court vision continues to improve and the assists get higher, Jayson Tatum becomes that more dangerous to defend.

Again, the main question surrounding the Boston Celtics forward is the age.  As he proved in his rookie season, he is not afraid of the big stage.  He did dunk on LeBron James in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals two seasons ago.

With a more polished game, an aggressive attack and a ton of more confidence in his all-around game, Jayson Tatum not only has the ingredients for superstar success, he brings the main ingredient of a two-way force to the championship table.

The only real question is whether he can pick up where he left off prior to the NBA going on hiatus.  If he does, he is an “absolute problem” for any other contender the Boston Celtics go up against.

Yes, that even means Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.