Back in December, I broached the question of Jayson Tatum's ceiling getting into Kevin Durant-territory. With the Celtics sweep of the Nets in Round One - and Durant's less-than-superhuman performance - Tatum seems to be KD's equal, at least for the series. Here are the numbers:
Durant:
44.0 MPG - 26.3 PPG - 5.8 RPG - 6.3 APG - 1.0 SPG - 0.3 BPG - 38.6% FG - 33.3% 3s
Tatum:
41.7 MPG - 29.5 PPG - 4.5 RPG - 7.5 APG - 1.8 SPG - 0.8 BPG - 45.6% FG -
41.9% 3s
JT gets the nod on points, assists, steals, blocks, FG% and 3-point percentage. It can be argued that Ime Udoka's stifling defense on Durant also stifled his performance, but it was no cakewalk for Jayson out there. There was a lot of defensive focus on him all series long.
Durant will be 34 years old at the start of the 2022-23 season. He is assuredly past his prime. It is doubtful Tatum has peaked yet at the age of 24. So for my question back in December:
Is Kevin Durant too high a ceiling-projection for Jayson Tatum?"
My answer would now be an emphatic "NO!", The future bodes well for this Celtics rising superstar.
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