Jayson Tatum, Celtics Wasting No Time Staring Down Eastern Conference

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BOSTON — One year ago, Jayson Tatum was sitting in a Ritz Carlton hotel room high above downtown Cleveland, fretting over his looming matchup against LeBron James.

Within a span of five months, he’d gone from college student to NBA player, and now his regular-season debut was hours away. Alongside his father, Justin, and godfather, former NBA player Larry Hughes, Tatum sat there scrolling through Instagram and trying to distract himself with the ambient noise of ESPN.

A lot has changed since then.

Tatum spent the first half that night coughing up the ball and clanking jumpers. LeBron—who Tatum had messaged on Twitter six years earlier begging for a “follow back”—swatted his first shot out of bounds. 

But then Gordon Hayward, the Celtics’ marquee free-agent signing, shattered his leg. Six months later, Kyrie Irving, the Celtics’ marquee trade acquisition, went down with a knee injury.

Suddenly, Tatum was thrust into a new role.

It’d be inaccurate to say he carried the Celtics on his back into the playoffs, but he did become the go-to weapon for a Boston team that came within one win of knocking off LeBron’s Cavaliers and making the NBA Finals. 

Which leads us to Tuesday night and the Celtics’ convincing 105-87 home win over the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA’s season opener. Because there was Tatum, just a year removed from that afternoon in the Cleveland Ritz Carlton, but on this night, that timid kid was nowhere to be found. 

There were silky jumpers, slick crossovers and nasty slams. Also, a sly wink.

Tatum was relaxed yet confident, aggressive yet patient, the seemingly conflicting package of traits that only superstars possess. 

“I’m a lot more comfortable and relaxed and knew what to expect,” said Tatum, who finished with a game-high 23 points on 9-for-17 shooting in only 29 minutes. “Last year, I was new.”

A few minutes later, Tatum was standing outside the Celtics locker room, dapping up Sixers star Joel Embiid and sharing a laugh. The two spent the summer sparring in trainer Drew Hanlen’s Los Angeles gym. Despite their different positions, they were often matched up against one another Tuesday night.

As far as metaphors go, this was pretty strong: the heart of the Sixers dueling the future of the Celtics. That Tatum was able to repeatedly come out on top—including with a off-balance 18 footer off the glass, followed by a staredown—was symbolic, too. 

It’s strange to think of a 20-year-old as his team’s steady hand, but that’s what’s so striking about Tatum. On a night in which Irving went only 2-of-14 and Hayward resembled a player still trying to shake off rust, Tatum took control.

“Our best player didn’t hit shots tonight and we still win by 20,” he said.

That the Celtics did so, particularly against one of their primary Eastern Conference challengers, is a testament to the impact Tatum can have. It’s also something that should terrify the rest of the NBA.

It’s particularly troubling for the Sixers, who are seemingly destined to spend the next few years chasing the Celtics. They could forever be haunted by the decision last summer to pass on Tatum in favor of Markelle Fultz. 

Tatum is the rare 20-year-old who’s worthy of being discussed for what he can do right now. Hayward, after all, is still on a minutes limit. Irving won’t have many repeats of his Tuesday night performance, but it could take him some time to resemble Uncle Drew again.

Granted, no one should overreact to one performance on opening night. There’s still a whole season ahead, still battles to be had against Kawhi’s Raptors and the rising Pacers and Bucks. Yet over the past year it’s become clear that for Eastern Conference teams the path to the Finals goes through Boston. 

The Celtics are deep, perhaps deeper than any other NBA team. They don’t need Tatum going one-on-five. Yet on Tuesday night, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said of him, “We need him to be great.”

On most nights he is. The only question worth asking now is how great can he become.