Shortly after his arrival in the NBA, the world took for granted that Jayson Tatum was a star. His baptism in the 2018 playoffs against LeBron’s Cavaliers placed him in a status that forced him to see his second season almost as a misstep. But Tatum recovered, he was an All-Star and at 23 years old, it is strange not to see him in one of the three best quintets of the season. He himself has said that it was a disappointment that would help him want to improve even more. And with that idea he faces the season. “I have to improve my level from being one of the top 10 or 15 to being one of the 5. I must try to make everyone around me better” Tatum declares in an interview for The Undefeated.
The young forward admitted that much of this drive comes from his experience with the US national team. «This season my plan is to introduce what I have learned into my game. I have spent half my summer playing against the best in the world. KD, Book and all of them. I feel like I’ve had a first start to the season and I’m motivated to take the next step.
Tatum’s last barrier
Tatum is already one of the best scorers in the world and his room for improvement is still wide. This same summer he says he has gained muscle strength that he has already built up during the preseason, although the most obvious advance that his game can experience comes from the creation of opportunities for his teammates. In 2020-21, Tatum’s assists have already suffered the greatest increase of his career, but the challenge is to work on new actions that involve the rest of the team. Ime Udoka reaches the bench celtic with a clear idea of team play, so the All-Star has the perfect excuse to grow in this section.
Talking about a top five may be big words, but if Tatum manages to become a more global player while continuing to grow as a scorer, the sky will be the limit for the Celtics star.
(Cover photo by Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
