Tag: jayson tatum

Jayson Tatum has been the best player on the Celtics roster so far this season

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum’s growth has led him to become the best player on the team this season.

Is Kemba Walker really the best player on the Boston Celtics roster? Even with third-year forward Jayson Tatum, the future face of the franchise, making the type of leap that could be a turning point in his blossoming career?

Despite Walker’s top-three ranking on ESPN’s Kia MVP ladder, Tatum has been able to dominate on both sides of the ball, putting his exceptional footwork, shooting touch and what seems to be both increased agility and awareness on display for Boston.

Walker is without a doubt the better facilitator — masterful in the pick-and-roll — and Tatum has had surprising struggles at the rim but with the latter’s defensive improvement, it appears the two are at least at the same level this season.

Kemba Walker

Walker is averaging 21.6 points, 5.0 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 0.9 steals in 32.3 minutes per game, obviously well-rounded numbers and those of a key player. The three-time All-Star is shooting just 40.2% from the field — his lowest mark since 2014-15 — and 38.6% from three-point range on 8.8 attempts per game.

With an average shot distance of 16.9 feet, a career-high, Kemba is definitely more perimeter-oriented but the reason has much to do with his issues getting shots up inside three feet, where he’s taking a career-low 18.0% of his field goal attempts. As the Celtics have played a number of long-limbed teams, including division rivals in the Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors, this isn’t surprising.

However, he’s also struggled mightily from the midrange, knocking down just 25.0% — a career-low — of his shots from 10-16 feet, which account for 11.6% of his field goal attempts. Combine that with 29.1% shooting from 3-10 feet — the floater area — where 14.1% of his attempts come, then the crux of Walker’s issues is easily identified.

Yet, for all his struggles scoring, Walker has been able to use his quickness, ball-handling and awareness to routinely set up his teammates. His assist average (5.0) isn’t remarkable by any means but he’s playing within his role and within the offense, with a lack of excessive ball-dominance helping Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward establish a rhythm.

On the defensive end, Walker competes and has shown great recognition and quickness.

He’s fourth among guards, just behind Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Danny Green, with 7.4 contested shots per game and second amongst guards (9th in the league) with charges drawn at 0.44 per game. That said, Walker’s frame at 6’0” and 172 pounds still handicaps him against bigger players and screens.

Opposing point guards have routinely had a field day at Boston, starting with Ben Simmons and Kyle Lowry scoring 53 combined points against the Celtics in the first two games of the season and continuing into last week, when Brooklyn Nets guards Garrett Temple and Spencer Dinwiddie combined to score 54 points in Boston’s back-to-back games against them.

Jayson Tatum

Tatum is averaging 21.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.6 blocks in 34.6 minutes per game, diversifying his shot-selection while showcasing exceptional defensive effort and awareness.

The third-year forward has shot just 41.1% from the field and 36.6% from deep — career-lows — and that makes plenty of sense when considering he’s shooting a career-low 51.6% on shots within three feet of the rim (26.9% of his shot attempts) and a career-low 38.8% on shots from 10-16 feet away from the rim (18.8% of his shot attempts).

But with 7.3 shot contests per game (including 3.8 three-point contests per game, ranked 19th among forwards); 2.5 deflections 0.9 defensive loose balls recovered per game (ranked 19th among forwards); (ranked fifth among forwards who played more than one game) and opponents shooting just 37.7 percent against him, he’s more than making up for it defensively.

He’s jumped passing lanes often and created easy offense for himself on nights when he couldn’t find his shot. However, though he’s had a flair for the dramatic and taken tough shots throughout the season, he’s not been selfish and what’s a career-high 2.7 assists per game — despite some of his teammates’ inefficiency — highlights that quality of his game.

The case for Tatum

When Tatum is on the court, Boston has an offensive rating of 113.4 that drops to 103.4 when he’s off, similar to the 114.1 offensive rating the team has with Kemba on the court and the 104.2 offensive rating the Celtics have when he’s off the court.

On the other side of the ball, when Tatum is on the court, the Celtics had a defensive rating of 102.5 and 108.8 when he’s off. By contrast, the team has a defensive rating of 107.7 when Walker’s on the court and 98.4 when he’s off.

That would suggest that for all the similarities of their offensive impact, the defensive metrics — as well as what you could call the ‘eye test’ — point to Tatum being the slightly more impactful player.

What it all means

After the Celtics swung a sign-and-trade for Walker in June, it was universally understood that the Celtics acquired a player that would become their top option. He was a three-time All-Star, fresh off a career season and his first All-NBA selection.

Long considered one of the league’s top point guards, Kemba’s prowess in the pick-and-roll and propensity to hit clutch shots were well-known. However, replacing the team’s former star point guard — the embattled Kyrie Irving — would require Walker to do more than make up for the production they would lose with Irving changing loyalties.

He would need to be the positive and magnetic locker room force that Irving either would or could not be in 2018-19, a task that would be much easier said than done considering the disarray that Irving left the franchise in after his departure.

A chance to build chemistry with the majority of Boston’s core players over the summer with Team USA began what’s been the start of genuine friendships between teammates, creating an atmosphere beneficial to the growth of players and the team as a whole.

For the combination of his role in the process and his on-court production, Walker being considered the team’s MVP makes plenty of sense. Nonetheless, the team’s best player — both now and what may be for the future as well — is Tatum.

That would mean that the premonition of the fans and most importantly, of Celtics president Danny Ainge, is coming true.

*All stats gathered from Basketball Reference and NBA Advanced Stats

Jayson Tatum stellar as Celtics complete comeback to defeat Knicks, 113-104

Thanks to Jayson Tatum, the Boston Celtics are 14-5 after taking down the New York Knicks in a tightly-contested battle.

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum had what may have been his best performance of the season as he tallied 30 points (on 10-23 shooting from the field), six rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks on his way to leading the Celtics to a double-digit win over the New York Knicks.

Knocking down timely 3-balls, of which he was 5-11 for the night, Tatum’s output was nearly matched by wing Jaylen Brown’s 28 points (on 11-18 shooting from the field), five rebound, one steal and one assist.

Boston, however, trailed for most of the second half despite the contributions of the Jays.

In large part because New York native Kemba Walker struggled from the field for the second straight game, scoring 16 points on 33% from the field and three, continuing a pattern of poor shooting against longer teams.

Fortunately for Boston they were able to outscore the Knicks, who have been playing a bevy of big men, by 21 points outside the arc. That seems to have been the difference for the two teams, as New York got a strong performance from both Julius Randle and Dennis Smith Jr. (43 combined points), who continued to test the Celtics’ interior defense.

Boston is now 14-5.

WATCH: Kyrie Irving embraces Jayson Tatum, Kemba Walker

Kyrie Irving got a warm hello from some of his ex-Celtics teammates — and the player who replaced him Boston’s point guard — on Friday.

Prior to Kyrie Irving signing with the Brooklyn Nets, the drama surrounding him and the Boston Celtics was one of the major talking points around the NBA. Over the course of the summer, it died down a bit, though there was still some level of focus on the breakup in Boston with the team signing Kemba Walker to replace Irving.

While there have also been reports and speculation about Irving’s impact on the Nets’ chemistry since he joined the team, discussion of Brooklyn’s point guard and his old team had died down — until they met up at TD Garden in Boston on Thanksgiving Eve.

Irving wasn’t there, but the crowd let the Nets know how they feel about their point guard. But Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge and head coach Brad Stevens were not critical of Irving heading into the first matchup. Nor were his ex-teammates.

In fact, Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart had no problem saying hello to Irving after the game in Brooklyn on Friday. Walker even came over to say something to his predecessor.

RELATED: Kyrie Irving, Nets react to chants from Celtics fans

Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum not fond of anti-Kyrie chants

Boston Celtics wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown discuss the Celtics fans contempt for Kyrie Irving.

When a chorus of “Kyrie sucks” broke out among the Boston Celtics crowd, Celtics forward Jayson Tatum was confused, considering that Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving was out for the game with a shoulder impingement.

“We all know Kyrie doesn’t suck,” he quipped after the game.

Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown characterized the anti-Kyrie chants, which began before the game even started, as “interesting but probably unfair.”

In fact, Brown took a deep dive at the crux of the anti-Kyrie sentiment, pointing the finger of blame at the media for overblowing the situation and mischaracterizing last season’s issues:

“I think the media has made it much bigger than what it actually is… It almost makes like you’re opposed, like one turns against one another… I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.”

Continuing his spiel, the polymath would implore the fans to focus on the positives, like the success and lightened atmosphere of this season’s team versus last year.

“I think everything worked out for the better for everybody,” says Brown (h/t The Athletic’s Clevis Murray). “I don’t think anybody in Boston should have anything to complain or boo about, to be honest. We’re winning, we’re playing good basketball, the Celtics look good.”

“Boston fans should be nothing but happy,” Brown suggests. “The energy should shift from that to more positive.”

Whether Celtics heed Brown’s advice or not, it’s clear that not only are some of Irving’s more prominent former teammates set against dragging Irving’s through the mud — even the ones you may not expect — but that they’re far more invested in what could transpire this season than what did happen last year.

They want their fans to have that same focus as well.

Irving had a rough season last year, particularly off-the-court and has readily admitted he fails as a leader last season. He deserves the ire of the fan base for his petulance and perhaps even his decision to back away from a commitment to re-sign in Boston and given the zealous nature of fandom, the Celtics boos may come raining down Kyrie for years.

Nonetheless, Boston has a new beau and rather than focusing on their old flame, fans would probably find more enjoyment in cheering on their new arrivals and applauding the growth of their holdovers.

Wednesday’s matchup against the Nets was cathartic for fans but now, it may be time to turn the page as the Celtics embark on a new chapter: the Kemba Walker Era.

Feisty Celtics survive 41 points from white-hot Hield, win 103-102

The Boston Celtics survived the Buddy Hield show thanks to Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart.

Although they couldn’t seem to contain Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield, who unleashed canned a career-high 11 threes against the Boston Celtics en route to a 41-point night, the Celtics would trade baskets with the Kings for much of the game and lean on strong performances from Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart to pull out a narrow win (103-102) over their Western Conference foes.

The trio scored 61 of the team’s points, good for 59.2% of the total, with each continuing to do the things that had made them successful on offense to this point in the season.

With Brown attacking the rim and using his explosiveness to his advantage, Tatum showing off his combination of footwork and shooting touch and Smart finding the mark with a series of runners and floaters, Boston was able to keep up with Sacramento’s Bohemian baller.

However, it still took two clutch shots from Smart at the end of the game — and a defensive play by Robert Williams III on the final possession — for the Celtics to secure the win while shorthanded.

With star guard Kemba Walker sidelined with a neck sprain and starting center Daniel Theis out with an illness, Smart would start at point guard and make a number of plays as a scorer and facilitator on his way to 17 points (on 7-12 shooting) and seven assists.

Kanter, though unable to defend on the perimeter as well as Theis and contributing to the reason Hield was able to be open on a couple of plays, bullied Kings center in the post on his way to 13 points (and nine rebounds).

As exciting of a game as it was for Celtics fans, the most riveting experience was the NBA debut of rookie point guard Tremont Waters. Seemingly already beloved by the locker room, community and Celtics head coach Brad Stevens, Waters had a rough night shooting the ball but consistently showed off his basketball IQ.

Waters — whom Brown has nicknamed “Young Oldhead” to highlight his on-court savvy, finished the night with seven points (on 2-7 shooting from the field), three assists, one steal, two blocks and two turnovers in 19 minutes.

The Celtics may have Walker back for their next game, as the guard could have potentially played against the Kings had Boston not wanted to take precaution.

However, the team that they’ll be facing — the Brooklyn Nets — will be missing a familiar face in star guard Kyrie Irving, which makes the game easier to win but nullifies some of the emotional energy that would surround it.

Jayson Tatum saves all he makes from the Celtics, living off endorsements

While Boston Celtics swingman Jayson Tatum plays for the same team that drafted money-management nightmare Antoine Walker, his approach to savings is a little more conservative.

The tales of newly-rich NBA players blowing through so much of their earnings they have nothing left to show for it by the time they are out of the game is a common one, but one unlikely to touch on Boston Celtics swingman Jayson Tatum’s career.

The third-year Duke product is quite frugal, in fact, living entirely off the endorsement deals he’s been inking since departing from his NCAA days. Every cent of his current NBA contract has been going directly into a savings account since he first suited up for the Celtics in 2017.

This season, he’ll deposit $7,830,000 (his full salary for the 2019-20 NBA season).

“All the money I get from the Celtics, I put it in a savings account,” he explained on a podcast interview with Maverick Carter — a man known almost exclusively for his business sense — about finance (via CNBC’s Kathleen Elkins).

“When I picked my agent, I told him I want to do as much off-the-court stuff as I can,” Tatum explained in March to the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn. “You’re not promised the next contract. You want to save all the money you can.”

And save he has, living off endorsement checks from his deals inked with everything from hometown St. Louis’ pizza purveyor Imo’s to his contract with Nike’s Jordan Brand.

Tatum is not alone in his approach to pocketing the entirety of his paycheck.

Recently-retired New England Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski has long done the same, as has also-retired Oakland Raider Marshawn Lynch, according to Go Banking Rates’ Andrew Lisa.

Unlike some of his thrifty peers, such as the Los Angeles Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard — known for driving a 22-year old Chevy Tahoe because it’s paid off — Tatum has allowed himself and his mother a few creature comforts.

He’s a fan of nice clothes and even splurged a little on transportation for himself and his mother in the form of a Range Rover and Cadillac Escalade, respectively.

“I didn’t make all this money to save it all,” he explained.

If we’re being honest, most of us wouldn’t either.

Ranking the Boston Celtics’ first-round draft picks in this decade

The Boston Celtics have drafted some of the most notable players in the league in the last few years.

The Boston Celtics were able to add some key players through first-round selections. However, all of their picks in the first round did not pan out the way they hoped.

2013: Lucas Noguiera

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Well, at least the Celtics were smart enough to draft this project and then send him to the Raptors. Unfortunately, part of that deal saw Lou Williams also go to Toronto for John Salmons and a 2015 second-round pick. The seven-foot Noguiera somehow has played in more playoff games (13) than regular-season contests (10). He’s back in Spain now, a bad pick and a good player to rid yourself of, quickly

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Jayson Tatum’s 30-point explosion not enough to take down Clippers

The Boston Celtics lost for the second time in three games as they fell to the Los Angeles Clippers, 104-107.

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Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum had one of his best performances of his career on Wednesday with 30 points (on 12-24 shooting from the field), two steals and two blocks but it was all for naught, as the Los Angeles Clippers got 52 combined points from Lou Williams and Paul George as they narrowly defeated the Celtics in overtime (104-107).

With Boston up double-figures midway through the fourth quarter despite what was a close and intense game throughout the contest, savvy playmaking from George — who had eight assists on the night — brought LA back, while defensive menace Patrick Beverley made his impact felt on the offensive end, knocking down several clutch threes.

Beverley, who finished with 14 points, 16 rebounds (4 offensive), seven assists, three steals and two blocks, was even more impactful than Kawhi Leonard, who went 3-10 from three on his way to 17 points but had a key block on Kemba Walker that sealed the game for them.

Tatum didn’t get much help in this battle, as Walker, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown all felt the effects of the Clippers defense, each of them shooting 35% or below from the field. It was certainly Brown’s worst night this season, as he went just 3-14 from the field on his way to nine points.

Smart, who made a number of important shots in the fourth quarter and made stellar defensive plays, shot just 1-11 from three.

However, despite the loss, Tatum’s teammates showed their appreciation for their rising star. Here’s what Walker had to say about Tatum after their loss on Wednesday, per The Athletic’s Jay King.

“JT made some huge shots and some big plays. That’s what he is. That’s who he is for us. We trust him. We want him to develop into that leader, that leadership role.”

The Celtics-Clippers game lived up to the hype (and more) with OT-thriller ending

The Clippers were at full strength with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on the court, and took in the Celtics in a game that went to overtime. See all the highlights.

It’s fun when a hyped-up game comes out and exceeds expectations.

The Boston Celtics traveled to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers on Wednesday night, who finally had their full-look roster with Paul George returning from injury and Kawhi Leonard on the court.

The Clippers looked good. The Celtics also looked good! It went to overtime, a deserved result as for the entire game it felt like neither team could pull away. This wasn’t a game of big runs. They just traded baskets and stops all night.

The game went to overtime after Jayson Tatum went and broke George’s ankles and drained a huge three to tie the game late, but the Clippers went on a nice run in OT and were able to hang on and win 107-104, thanks in part to a fantastic last-second block from Leonard.

If you had to ask: No, Leonard didn’t celebrate at all, because he’s Kawhi Leonard.

It was a bit of a wonky game because it’s clear that George and Leonard are still figuring things out. It’s wild to say that, considering George finished with 25-5-8 and Leonard finished with 17-6-3, but Leonard especially was a little more deferential than we usually see him. It was also a bit wonky in that the Celtics’ Kemba Walker had an uncharacteristic off night, finishing with 13 points on 4 of 17 shooting.

Tatum had 30 though, and backup point guard Brad Wanamaker came hot off the bench and got 14 points.

Potential finals matchup? Maybe. Sure. We’d do that.

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Despite the buzz about Boston, don’t expect trades any time soon

Dubbed “the spiritual successors to the Warriors”, will the Boston Celtics iteration of switchy defenders and high-powered offense be enough to succeed in the postseason?

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Don’t expect a trade to upgrade the Boston Celtics coming any time soon, particularly while the team sticks to its winning ways.

Coming into the season, the team’s big man rotation was widely seen to be a step below what the team would need to compete for a title, with larger, more skilled big men on the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks looking like insuperable barriers to a deep postseason run.

One 10-game win streak later and those qualms have subsided significantly, particularly with Boston showing it could bounce back against the equally-surprising Phoenix Suns and former center Aron Baynes on Nov. 18.

There’s still legitimate reason to doubt the team’s current frontcourt will have what it takes to get past some of the better teams in the playoffs, where opponents will have more time and impetus to gameplan ways to use size against the team.

As the Ringer’s Jonathan Tjarks notes, the Celtics elevation of two third-overall picks (in consecutive NBA Drafts), Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, to trusted top offensive options and combining them defensive tour de force Marcus Smart (who can switch onto even the strongest and quickest bigs in the league) has somehow worked.

And not only worked, but created one of the more potent offensive two-man lineups in the league despite Tatum’s up-and-down nights and overall development.

“The Celtics are this year’s closest thing to the spiritual heirs of the Warriors,” explains Tjarks.

“They don’t have the same star power, but their key players all fit into similar roles. Kemba Walker, like Steph Curry, is a smaller guard who can bomb 3s and play on and off the ball, and they surround him with big wings who can defend multiple positions, space the floor, and create their own shot. Their best lineup, when everyone is healthy, doesn’t feature anyone above 6-foot-8: Kemba, Smart, Tatum, Brown, and Hayward.”

Tatum’s showing signs of putting things together and considering much of this has been going on without All-Star forward Gordon Hayward — out until December with a broken hand — while Kemba Walker has quietly inserted himself into the fringes of the MVP conversation.

Perhaps the wins shouldn’t be so surprising.

But the skepticism about the frontcourt remains, and quite possibly for good reason. While the Warriors indeed did not have a dominant big functioning in a rim-protecting, pick-setting, back-to-the-basket sort of center anchoring their formidable defenses, they also had a much more lethal array of shooters, arguably the greatest ever assembled in recent years.

Can Boston hope to compete for a title with such a notable step down on the offensive end? If not, is there a player who makes sense who could be had on the trade market?

According to senior ESPN writer Brian Windhorst, if there is, it won’t involve any core players — Walker, Hayward, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum or even Marcus Smart — from the team’s core. Smart and Hayward have been floated often as potential options in recent months.

That leaves the comparatively smaller salaries of players like veterans like Daniel Theis, Enes Kanter, and rookies Romeo Langford and Vincent Poirier, all of whom make $5 million per season or less, and all but Langford happen to be bigs shoring up the already- shaky frontcourt rotation.

Finding a player worth moving so many contracts (or on a deal so cheap) that makes sense to pull the trigger on will be no easy task and with so many new signings for the team in the offseason, any such deal would likely have to wait until at least Dec. 15, when certain recently-signed deals begin to become tradable according to league rules.

For now, the strategy of the “spiritual heirs of the Warriors” will be to refine and evolve the Dubs approach to winning while small, strangely zagging back to what’s worked in the past as East contemporaries ‘zig’ big.

Will it be enough to stay in the conversation of belonging in the league’s elite?

We’ll just have to wait to find out.