Beyond "budding superstar", the term that truly defines Jayson Tatum is "SMOOTH". Going back to the early 1960's, I cannot quickly recall any Celtics player that has displayed such fluidity on the hardwood.
Sam Jones does come to mind, and it is true - there were no rough edges with "Sad Sam". His ball handling and jump shots were as smooth as they come during Sam's time in the League.
How about Larry Bird? Larry had two sides to him. He pulled off some of the best sleight-of-hand passes and shots that I have ever seen. But he also had a hard-nosed, tough game that had an extremely rough edge to it.
Some fans may put Paul Pierce into this poll, and "The Truth" did have an arsenal of offensive moves that were a pleasure to watch, but like Larry, Pierce could take the ball into the Big Trees under the hoop and use his strength to score or pick up the foul.
Ironically, an argument can be made for the other half of the Jay Team, Jaylen Brown. Although not quite up to Jayson's level of smoothness, Jaylen seems to glide over the hardwood like few others before him. Readers may have their own candidates. Let's hear about them.
Jones video compliments of Boston Celtics
Bird and Pierce videos courtesy of NBA
Going back to the early 60's, I cannot quickly recall any Celtics player with the smoothness of Tatum. He almost literally floats down the court, and even his off-balance shots are fluid - no awkwardness. https://t.co/jct3Sh3aMB
— Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) August 21, 2020
Sam Jones does come to mind, and it is true - there were no rough edges with "Sad Sam". His ball handling and jump shots were as smooth as they come during Sam's time in the League.
How about Larry Bird? Larry had two sides to him. He pulled off some of the best sleight-of-hand passes and shots that I have ever seen. But he also had a hard-nosed, tough game that had an extremely rough edge to it.
Some fans may put Paul Pierce into this poll, and "The Truth" did have an arsenal of offensive moves that were a pleasure to watch, but like Larry, Pierce could take the ball into the Big Trees under the hoop and use his strength to score or pick up the foul.
Ironically, an argument can be made for the other half of the Jay Team, Jaylen Brown. Although not quite up to Jayson's level of smoothness, Jaylen seems to glide over the hardwood like few others before him. Readers may have their own candidates. Let's hear about them.
Jones video compliments of Boston Celtics
Bird and Pierce videos courtesy of NBA
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