At various points Tuesday night during Boston’s streaky victory over Brooklyn, 19-year-old Jayson Tatum did not look his age.
As the cameras showed the breadth of the floor, the rookie caught a pass at the top, weighed the defence before executing a misdirection, head fake and high finish off the glass.
Earlier, Tatum was reading the way Kyrie Irving cut to the paint, so stepped up on the wing two paces before receiving the ball, dribbling to his right and canning a three.
The YES Network broadcast team of Ian Eagle and Sarah Kustok marvelled over the youngster’s poise and as those same cameras focused on Tatum toward the sideline, he was even digesting his own play like a wise veteran.
I thought about Tatum’s presence. He understands scoring situations, never playing as if the game is too quick for him, showcasing control and a smoothness. 19, you say?
Two years his senior, Jaylen Brown is his favourite partner. After an impressive rookie season, Brown has been even more up in the face of his opponents, implementing his love of chess onto the defensive end of a basketball court; how do I make it checkmate every time down?
On the first Celtics scoring play of this game, Brown set a down screen for Tatum, who popped out and drained the three while simultaneously erasing the word ‘hesitation’ from his vocabulary.
Brown combines his able screen-setting with attentiveness inside, barraging through opponents in a style opposing Tatum’s, still prone to turnovers as his skillset catches up to his athleticism. Brown doesn’t let that inhibit his confidence, evident by his relentless shooting and driving.
Together, and behind the tutelage of Irving, this team has won 13 games in a row. GM Danny Ainge has worked his butt off - and outsmarted every front office in the league - to place Boston’s future in front of us, four years after they pulled off a trade the likes of which we’ll never see again.
Two years his senior, Jaylen Brown is his favourite partner. After an impressive rookie season, Brown has been even more up in the face of his opponents, implementing his love of chess onto the defensive end of a basketball court; how do I make it checkmate every time down?
On the first Celtics scoring play of this game, Brown set a down screen for Tatum, who popped out and drained the three while simultaneously erasing the word ‘hesitation’ from his vocabulary.
Brown combines his able screen-setting with attentiveness inside, barraging through opponents in a style opposing Tatum’s, still prone to turnovers as his skillset catches up to his athleticism. Brown doesn’t let that inhibit his confidence, evident by his relentless shooting and driving.
Together, and behind the tutelage of Irving, this team has won 13 games in a row. GM Danny Ainge has worked his butt off - and outsmarted every front office in the league - to place Boston’s future in front of us, four years after they pulled off a trade the likes of which we’ll never see again.