The biggest appeal of the Boston Celtics' decision to trade Jaylen Brown was that it was going to open up a new opportunity for Jayson Tatum. For the first time in his NBA career, he was going to be Boston's clear-cut No. 1 guy. There was no more 1A-1B dynamic, and the entire system to going to revolve around him and his strengths.
We're still very early into the season, but early on Tatum has played great as the Celtics' No. 1 option, and fans should be pleased with his performances and his growth.
Jayson Tatum has taken a step forward as the Celtics' No. 1 option
Through his first nine games of the season, Tatum has averaged 27.1 points, 6 rebounds, and 7.8 assists in 33.8 minutes. His efficiency could be better (42/31.3/89.3% shooting splits), but the Duke alum has taken a leap.
He's still the same Tatum he has been up to this point in his career. He is still moving the ball around and getting his teammates involved, crashing the glass, playing strong defense, and just being the same all-around player he was before this season.
The difference, though, is that he is playing a tad bit more selfishly and aggressively, and I mean that in the best way possible. Tatum is hunting mismatches and isn't playing too conservatively by just passing to his teammates. He's doing a better job of putting his head down and getting to the basket, and it's making a big difference, as it opens up a new dynamic of Boston's perimeter-centric offense (his 9.3 free-throw attempts per game - which is second-most in the NBA behind Luka Doncic's 10.9 - would be the highest of his career).
Tatum is continuing to play winning basketball (the Celtics are 7-2 in games he has played), and he is making an impact everywhere on the court. There's still a lot of basketball left this season, but his play so far has been very promising.
Jayson Tatum is crucial to the Celtics' success this year
Technically, he has been crucial to their success from the moment they drafted him third overall in 2017, but he is especially important this year.
The Celtics' entire system is built around Tatum. He's going to be their primary offensive hub, but he also plays a big role for the team defensively and on the boards. Boston is taking a big risk by putting so much pressure on him, but so far, he has thrived under that pressure.
As it stands, the Celtics are establishing themselves as a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference, but they're trying to do more than that; they want to prove they still have what it takes to be title contenders.
Whether it gets to that point or not remains to be seen, but for the Celtics to have any ounce of hope to achieve this goal, it all comes down to Tatum and how far he can carry the team on his back.
Add us as a preferred source on Google