The blueprint for Jayson Tatum to become a champion
Tatum and Golden State's Stephen Curry are very different players, but there are lots of lessons that Tatum should learn from Curry in order to achieve his dream of being an NBA champion - like Curry.
Despite Jayson Tatum putting up scoring numbers seldom seen by someone so young let alone someone so young with a storied franchise like the Boston Celtics, he’s not a selfish player.
He can score with the absolute best players in the game, whether it be from 3-point range, off the dribble with a pull-up jumper, at the rim for a lay-up or dunk, and lately, backing down a smaller player and just shooting right over the top of them from the post.
As Tatum the teenager evolved into Tatum the scoring assassin, there is no doubt he has made himself a better player.
But that’s not enough in this league, especially when you are charged with leading a team the way Tatum is to an NBA title.
In addition to making sure he impacts the game on a high level, Tatum is also charged with aiding those around him to step their games up as well.
This is why the Tatum we saw in Boston’s 117-103 win on Monday over the Milwaukee Bucks, has to show up more often going forward.
It wasn’t just the fact that he scored 42 points in an extremely efficient manner on 16-of-25 shooting and 7-for-13 from 3-point range.
More than that, he scored 42 points and did so without being a shot-chucker.
In fact, it was one of the few games this season where “Top-5 Tatum" not only put his imprint on the game with his scoring, but also with his passing, rebounding, and overall impact on making those around him better.
And it is that latter point that more than anything else is very much a work in progress for the 23-year-old.
In the Bucks win, we saw Tatum as the best player on the floor, a court that included two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
And tonight he faces yet another top-shelf challenge in the Golden State Warriors who are led by Stephen Curry.
As much as Curry’s lethal shooting and scoring prowess make him one of the game’s must-see talents, his ability to elevate the play of those around him is what makes him more than just a really good player.
It makes him a champion.
And that is the level that Tatum is eager to start climbing closer to in the near future.
Looking back at Curry’s growth, one of the keys has been his ability to help raise the profile of those around him; specifically Klay Thompson.
Thompson is a hell of a player who can be a two-way terror on the floor.
Jaylen Brown doesn’t shoot the ball as well as Thompson, but he has many skills that would allow him to be just as impactful at both ends of the floor.
Just like Thompson’s play is enhanced by Curry’s skills as a scorer and playmaker, the same potential exists between Brown and Tatum.
For all those who have opined about how these two cannot work well together, those who feel different than that will quickly point to Monday’s win over Milwaukee.
It was one of the few games this season when Brown, returning to the lineup after missing games with a sore hamstring injury, seemed to feed off of Tatum’s play as opposed to just putting up good numbers.
And the reason?
Tatum made a point of getting Brown the ball…a lot.
In the win over the Bucks, 28.6 percent of the passes made by Tatum, were made to Jaylen Brown.
To put that in perspective, only 6.7 percent of Tatum’s passes this season have been to Brown, a percentage that falls well short of Tatum dishes to Dennis Schröder (29.5 percent); Marcus Smart (25.5), and Al Horford (13.1).
And what we saw in the Bucks win, was the more Tatum looked for Brown the more Brown returned the favor.
For the season, 17.7 percent of passes made by Brown are to Tatum.
Against the Bucks on Monday?
That number skyrocketed to 37.5 percent.
Brown is a really good player who becomes an even better player when Tatum makes a conscious effort to keep him actively engaged in the offense and not have to rely so heavily on scoring in isolation, one-on-one situations.
The team’s chances of winning also improve, which then moves them one step closer towards becoming a title contender once again which is ultimately what we’ll judge Tatum on when all is said and done.