Spoiler Alert! Jayson Tatum is a good basketball player. The expectations for Tatum’s sophomore season, and his career, are soaring. After polishing off one of the greatest individual playoff runs in NBA history for a Rookie, people are talking about BIG things for the young star.
How Big, You Ask?
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame big. Fellow Duke basketball alumni and NBA legend Grant Hill will be enshrined into the Hall of Fame on Friday, and he believes Jayson Tatum will follow suite one day.
“I think he’s on his way,” Hill told MassLive’s Tom Westerholm. “… He’s in a great situation, which is really good. In some ways you could say it’s a blessing and a curse. Because (the Celtics) are so talented, he doesn’t have to do as much, which is great for a young player, and they have a chance to win a championship, and have a lot of runway for the next five, six, eight years. But also it doesn’t really allow us to see the full package. I think we did see that last year when injuries hit that team, and now it was like they needed him to show and prove, and he did. And he was just a rookie. 19 years old. I think time. Time is what he needs, and I can’t wait to watch and see what he ultimately becomes. It’s scary.”
This comes on the heels of comments made by former NBA All-Star turned ESPN Analyst Stephen Jackson. Jackson was speaking about Boston’s expectations for the upcoming season, and casually mentioned that he believes Jayson Tatum will be a top 10 player in the NBA by season’s end. Wow.
So, there you have it. The bottom line is- Tatum has an immense amount of expectations to live up to. These former NBA legends believe he has what it takes to cement his place among the league’s best. If Jayson Tatum proved anything his Rookie season, it’s that he has all of the talent necessary to get the job done.
