With the NBA schedule heading into its final stretch now that All-Star weekend is over, the folks over at The Ringer decided to rate their top 25 players over the league’s first 55 games, give or take a few.
The Boston Celtics found themselves with two such players, the duo who happened to represent Boston in said All-Star weekend in the main event on Sunday, point guard Kemba Walker and forward Jayson Tatum.
The omission of shooting guard Jaylen Brown is once again an issue, though given the field wasn’t much larger than the original list of All-Stars selected for said main event, it’s a defensible omission.
Tatum clocked in at No. 19 overall, ahead of childhood friend Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards, and just after Phoenix Suns sharpshooter Devin Booker.
The Ringer’s Justin Verrier has glowing praise for the nascent superstar, too, noting how, “[t]he not-yet-22-year-old has taken a leap this season, leveraging the extra ball movement, spacing, and opportunities into career highs virtually across the board.
“But the biggest jump has been in Tatum’s confidence: He’s driving the ball nearly twice as often, and he’s already taken almost as many shots within 5 feet as he did all of last season. And he’s only getting better the more he realizes how good he is. Sharing the court with three others on this list in Thursday’s double-overtime win against the Clippers, Tatum proved to be the biggest swinging wing.”
“Kemba called him the best player on the court. If he starts drawing more fouls, he could be one of the very best players in the league by the end of this season,” added Verrier.
The Duke product’s Boston teammate (and Chicago opponent) Walker also received lavish praise at his No. 14 ranking.
.@KembaWalker may have "locked (Tatum) up", but it was @jaytatum0 who will leave this weekend with the bragging rights. https://t.co/lzuOMUBEc9
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 17, 2020
Noting how, with few exceptions, “the Celtics couldn’t have scripted a better first season in Boston for Walker,” The Ringer highlighted just how important the UConn product has been for revitalizing a Boston franchise many expected to be reeling.
“Surrounded by more shot-creating talent than he’s had in his career, Walker’s usage is down and his efficiency is up,” notes The Ringer’s staff.
“He’s been a hand-in-glove fit in Brad Stevens’ offense—the C’s score 8.2 more points per 100 possessions with Walker on the court than when he sits—and has helped oversee a seamless transition from the brief Kyrie Irving era to a new structure in which perimeter players Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Gordon Hayward can all operate as the tip of the spear and rotate as Boston’s brightest star on a game-to-game basis.”
In truth it’s been the synergy between those three wings and Walker (with a dash of charisma and camaraderie forged with Team USA, perhaps) that has driven the Celtics’ unexpected success.
The foursome, with defensive menace Marcus Smart in tow to take on the hardest matchups, have exceeded all but the most ambitious expectations for Boston this season, and the Celtics appear poised for a deep playoff run.
With center Robert Williams soon to return from a hip injury that has had him out since early December just as the team hits one of the toughest stretches of its remaining schedule, we’ll get a better idea of just how high the team’s ceiling is.
But it’s nice to see at least two crucial parts of the engine driving the Celtics’ success getting some love from the national media just the same.
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