Coming off his first All-Star season with the Boston Celtics, here are three challenges facing Jayson Tatum in the 2020-21 NBA season.
Following his first NBA All-Star season and a max contract extension in the offseason, Jayson Tatum has cemented himself as the face of the Boston Celtics and a main reason fans should be excited about the team’s future.
Taking the mantle as Boston’s biggest sports star at the young age of 22, Tatum appears to be just scratching the surface of his potential in both what he does on the court and as a leader.
Coming off a season in which he averaged 23.4 points and 7.0 rebounds a game, could Jayson Tatum put himself in the conversation of MVP in the entire league?
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Well, if he is in consideration, that would mean big things for the Boston Celtics in the 2020-21 NBA season. Not only will it mean Tatum has taken yet another big step in his growth, but it will also mean the team has viable pieces around him contributing to his success.
But there will be challenges for a player as young as Jayson Tatum, three big challenges facing a player on the horizon of NBA superstardom.
Jayson Tatum has to continue to show he’s worth the money
The Boston Celtics came up short in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat, but it wasn’t due to a lack of production out of Jayson Tatum.
The Duke product was entering the playoffs in the NBA bubble with something to prove as far as a contract extension and he did just that. Averaging 25.7 points and 10.0 rebounds during the team’s 17-game playoff run, Tatum demonstrated he is a money player.
He must continue to show that during the 2020-21 NBA season, especially with the team entering the campaign without Kemba Walker, who is rehabbing an injury and Gordon Hayward who spurned the Celtics for the Charlotte Hornets during free agency.
Tatum, with the help of Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart, will have to put the team on his shoulder early in the season, but he can’t try to do too much as tempting as it will be.
Balance will be a key and also doing the things to make his teammates better will be the sign of true super stardom. He showed that prior to the NBA shutdown and throughout the playoffs where he started to show off his playmaking skills.
A true money player doesn’t just score the basketball, they can also contribute in other ways that lead to team success.
Jayson Tatum needs to continue growth in leadership skills
On a team with Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown and now Tristian Thompson and Jeff Teague, there is plenty of leadership, but the level of leadership a young emerging superstar like Jayson Tatum can provide can go a long way.
Describing himself as a “lead by example guy,” Tatum has to do just that this upcoming season, especially without Walker the first few months of the season.
Yes, he is young, but the growth the Boston Celtics young star has shown on the court in just a few seasons can help other young players on the team like Grant Williams and Aaron Nesmith recognize that learning on the basketball court is a continuous process where hard work and dedication to the team is a valuable asset.
The thing about Tatum is he has learned from players like the late Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. He has also in a way learned what leadership is not just by playing alongside a player like Kyrie Irving.
That is no rip on Kyrie but putting up a lot of points does not make a leader. Simply doing the things necessary to help his team win is how a young player like Jayson Tatum will lead. Although he can be vocal when he needs to be, his body language, confidence and belief in the players around him is the leadership style he can provide…for now.
A leader also recognizes what he needs to do to get better.
"“I’m still extremely young, so I think every part of my game can get better,” Tatum said, via Celtics.com. “Continue to get stronger, extending my range, being able to efficiently shoot deeper either off the dribble or off the catch. Finishing better through contact and becoming even more of a defensive presence.”"
If Tatum does improve on those things, while continuing to grow as a leader, the Boston Celtics will be in a good position to battle with the top teams in the NBA.
A bigger, stronger Jayson Tatum
The value of Jayson Tatum being so young is that he still has time to fill out his 6-foot-8 frame.
No, Tatum has not grown to 6-foot-10 as Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens clarified after much talk about a growth spurt earlier this month, but he had added some muscle that certainly makes him a stronger player who can become a presence underneath the basket on both sides of the court.
With his versatility and ability to score from everywhere on the court, it would add to his offensive game if he used that added strength to provide the team with some scoring down low.
On the defensive end, a challenge is for him to use that added muscle as a player who can defend down low, protect the rim and continue to be the rebounder he was during his inaugural All-Star season.
Like Jayson Tatum said in the previous slide, finishing through contract is also something he can only get better at. He will draw contact; he will get to the rim. Eventually, he will get the calls he commonly complains to the officials about when he doesn’t get them.
In summary, the superstar treatment will happen if he continues his trajectory towards an elite player in the NBA. But the hard work needs to continue and that will help him conquer the three challenges that lay ahead in the upcoming 2020-21 NBA season.