The Stunningly Smooth Rise of Taco Jay
By: Schwartz
Paul Pierce shows his enthusiastic approval of the heir apparent to his roles of leader and champion
Last Wednesday evening, I was sitting down to start progress on a monster 2020 MLB preview for all of you, while the Celtics were playing the Magic. Okay, I should clarify. When I say the Celtics, I don’t mean the actual members of the 2020 Boston Celtics. I mean a group of guys playing at TD Garden wearing green and white jerseys. I mean a bunch of rookies, G-leaguers, and journeymen who were standing in for the actual roster, most of whom were occupied at Mass General hospital receiving treatment for a ridiculous range of ailments. And of course, their 21-year-old All Star, Jayson Tatum. While the C’s did have a resurgent Gordon Hayward and Tatum’s youth movement counterpart Jaylen Brown active on this particular night, they also started- yes started, he was in the lineup and played 28 minutes- rookie guard Romeo Langford, who came into the game with 12 total NBA appearances, and averaged under 10 minutes throughout those dozen games. So, what I’m getting at with all of this, is that I was pretty damn scared about this basketball game. For most of the first 3 quarters, the Magic validated that fear, leading for bits of the game, and at the least, keeping the Celtics lead from getting larger than a possession or two. And then...something happened. When I turned away from the Celtics game for just a short amount of time, Jayson Tatum had 19 points. When I looked back to basketball, really not that much later, Jayson suddenly was up to 30, and more importantly, the Celts’ lead had ballooned to double digits. Jayson would finish the game with 33 points- including 5 threes- 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and a pair of blocks. Behind this performance, the Celtics won by 16 while getting 95 minutes from guys who weren’t on NBA rosters a year ago.
Jayson sends the Boston crowd home happy after a way-too-close call with the Knicks
This game was no sort of anomaly. It had a lot of characteristics we’ve seen in many of the performances of these 2019-20 Celtics, throughout what has become Jayson Tatum’s breakout season. The depleted lineup, the 3 close quarters, the eventual pulling away, and of course, the dominant stretch by our young superstar. The “takeover gene” is something that’s hard to quantify- but you know it when you see it. In almost every great Celtics win, there’s a stretch where Tatum owns the game, and nobody on the floor has any sort of answer or ability to guard him. He’s shown flashes of this his whole career, they were first on display for a national audience when as a teenage rookie, he took on the Philadelphia 76ers in a 4-1 Eastern Conference Semifinals win in 2018. But as of late, these stretches have become longer, and appeared more often - seemingly, whenever the team has needed one. This has been clearly reflected in Jayson’s career-high and suddenly team-leading 22.4 points per game scoring, as well as the breakout games we’ve seen from the Celtics star. So far this season, Jayson has gone over 30 points 8 times, including his first 40-point effort, compared to just one 30 point performance in his first two seasons combined. In fact, three of those eight 30+ point games have been in the Celts’ last 5 games, a stretch over which Jayson is averaging 29ppg while shooting 45% from three. Not just a bulk scoring effort, Jayson’s efficiency has been notably higher than a year ago. Although he has not shot quite as lights-out as he did during his excellent rookie campaign, that type of efficiency cannot be expected from him as he has taken on a more prominent role in the offense, shouldering the burden of a #2 and increasingly, a #1 option in the Celtics’ dangerous offense, and thus receiving much more attention from opposing defenses than he has in the past. Furthermore, he is taking some of the most difficult shots on the floor and still draining them. Only the otherworldly Damian Lillard is hitting pull-up threes at a better rate than Jayson’s 39.2 percent, among players attempting at least 4 such shots per game. This is a true testament to how lethal Jayson has become at creating his own shot, and making it, even when the shot he creates is a very tough one. This season, Jayson has moved away from the longer, less efficient midrange shots that plagued his 2018-19 campaign, and shown more tenacity in either getting to the rim or drawing a foul. He has been able to accomplish this with vastly improved handles and inside finishing skills, which have contributed to his rise as a well-rounded, diverse scorer who can hurt teams in a lot of ways, finally realizing the potential dominance that his talent has always suggested he could achieve.
Jayson flies in for a block of rival point guard, and serial misser of open shots, Ben Simmons
As I mentioned above, the Celtics faithful, including myself, have always recognized that Jayson has the talent to be a top-tier scoring threat. But what took me, and I think almost everyone else, by surprise has been his sudden rise to a major plus on the defensive end. Coming into the league as a lanky teenager, Jayson was a minor defensive liability during the beginning of his Celtics tenure. Still, he showed a lot of heart and effort and seemed to have the promise to be a fine defender when he put some more muscle on his youthful frame. Two seasons later, he has in fact bulked up, and played the role of a power forward more than anything else, as opposed to the small forward and even shooting guard positions he occupied during his rookie year. Although the potential to be an acceptable defender was always evident, nobody realistically hoped for the effort we’ve seen. He’s been able to seamlessly switch onto opposing threats of all positions, particularly showing his growth in opportunities against top wings in Celtics games against other contenders. Tatum has excelled defensively against veteran wings like the Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard, the Heat’s Jimmy Butler, and of course the Bucks’ reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. Jayson has absolutely passed the eye test as a defender in all respects, and his effort on that end has also been appreciated by analytical measures such as Real Plus Minus (RPM). Amazingly, Jayson ranks third in defensive RPM among all NBA players, checking in as the best defensive power forward by this metric. Of course, defensive statistics are almost always flawed, and Jayson is likely not better than the likes of Kawhi, Rudy Gobert, or his teammate Marcus Smart, all of whom he is ranked ahead of. Still, this metric is at the very least a solid indicator of Jayson’s progress, as he has turned himself into an extremely strong defensive player. His emergence on this end of the floor has allowed the Celtics to run out smaller lineups with better scorers without sacrificing defense, and largely overcome their most serious perceived flaws of lack of size and rebounding. This new layer to his value, combined with his more obvious scoring ability, was a large reason he earned his first All-Star nod over his teammate Jaylen Brown, among others.
Reigning DPOY finalist Paul George grimaces in disappointment after getting thoroughly embarrassed by Jayson
More than anything that can be put on paper, Jayson Tatum’s growth has been clear to see any time you turn on the TV to watch the Celtics. Even when the team has been at full strength, as has rarely been the case, Jayson has taken the lead and acted as a true top option in some of the team’s biggest moments, with all-NBA point guard Kemba Walker perfectly content to step into the role of a distributor rather than a primary scorer in order to help the team win and most critically, help his teammates grow. As Tatum’s basketball skills have grown, he’s also grown as a teammate and individual in the league. His leadership and humility have been striking during his rise to stardom, as well as his persistent team-first attitude. A vocal disciple and admirer of the late Kobe Bryant, Jayson has exemplified the hardworking nature and competitive mentality that his hero embodied, and certainly would have been proud to see in the young forward. Particularly impressive to Celtics fans, and the whole league, has been Jayson’s penchant for showing up in the biggest moments. From a last-second game winner against the Knicks, to a late, game-tying three when visiting the Clippers, during which he absolutely obliterated all-world defender Paul George, Jayson has been the guy whose hands you want the ball in when the game comes down to the wire. Just this week, in his last action before the All Star break, Jayson turned in his best performance yet in one of the biggest spots, a 39 point 9 rebound explosion in a double overtime win against the Clippers. Time and time again, Jayson was the guy who took the biggest shots, and stood down the Clippers’ formidable wing defense, even often having to get past Kawhi Leonard, perhaps the NBA’s best defender, on his way to the bucket. Jayson created for himself in every way from technical finishing at the rim to silky stepback threes and midranges, and most importantly, scored 19 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter and the overtime periods. Jayson also made enormous defensive contributions as he was often tasked with handling Kawhi on the other end of the floor, where the Clippers mega star was limited to just 2 for 9 shooting over that same fourth to overtime span, due in large part to Jayson’s relentless coverage, leading to multiple possessions where the young Celtic completely stifled anything the Clips’ stud wing tried to do. Finding a way to lead the team and win tough games like this one will be key if Jayson is going to be a superstar and champion in the future, and the Clippers game was a shining example of him showing that he has what it takes to rise to any occasion.
In a second meeting with the Clippers, Jayson throws it down after driving through about 80% of their team
Always a promising young scorer, Jayson has grown into a well-rounded, complete player whose rise has been recognized by his teammates and opponents alike, as well as the coaches who selected him to be an All-Star. The media, too, have appreciated his performance, as he has been placed as high as 9th on the KIA MVP ladder and is only trending upwards, as well as winning the most recent Eastern Conference Player of the Week award for a phenomenal performance during which he averaged a line of 30/7/4 while shooting 50/54/80 and leading the Celtics to a 4-0 record. Amazingly, as much as he has already developed, he is still just 21 years old, the age at which many strong NBA players begin their careers, and already has so much experience behind him. Boston has a young budding superstar for whom the sky is truly the limit, and has finally blossomed into a leading and absolutely essential role on a well-rounded, contending team. Jayson’s importance to the team is well reflected in advanced metrics, as he leads the team in usage rate, and when he is off the court, the Celts have a negative net rating- he is the only such player on the team. After really tearing the roster down this offseason, Boston has created an entirely new culture, and built a team that has encouraged their young stars to finally display their talent, which was completely unable to flourish under the likes of Kyrie Irving. Having taken responsibility for more of the offensive load, Jayson has used the opportunity to grow and become a true star. Celtics of both past and present have all embraced Jayson as the future, the next great player to wear the green and white and have the responsibility of carrying on the franchise’s legendary tradition. As they continue their run into this year’s playoffs and beyond, they will look to Jayson to continue to be a leader on and off of the floor, and only become more of a force on both ends as he works to make his mark on NBA history.
Keep an eye out for some more Tatum takeovers this weekend as he takes on the NBA’s best in the All-Star Game tomorrow, and attempts to defend his skills challenge title tonight
