Duke’s Jayson Tatum soars for put-back dunk over Notre Dame

In the ACC Championship Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, Duke’s Jayson Tatum left little doubt as to why he’s a predicted NBA lottery pick. 

The Barclays Center, an arena usually filled with the Brooklyn Nets’ faithful, got a special treat from Duke small forward Jayson Tatum on Saturday night. Tatum provided a slam comparable to the professionals he’ll be facing if he declares for the NBA Draft following this season.

Following a missed three-pointer from teammate Luke Kennard, Notre Dame forgot to box out arguably the best player on the floor and he made them pay dearly. Not only does he catch Notre Dame snoozing and forgetting to put a body on him, he throws down the aggressive put-back dunk one-handed, just palming it out of the air like a man possessed.

Jayson Tatum cleans it up! (via @ESPNCBB) pic.twitter.com/aWEkYQw7fx

Jayson Tatum is a man amongst boys, there’s really no more to it. With his talent on display here, you can see why he has the scouts drooling over him. The expectations of what he can accomplish at the next level paired with his physicality at such a young age will make him someone to watch as his draft stock should only rise entering the tournament.

If Duke takes the game tonight, it’s likely they set themselves up to become a lock for a No. 2 seed on Selection Sunday, or perhaps even a No. 1, as most believe the ACC conference to be the best conference in college basketball.

Next: Tournament time

Tatum averages 16.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game with an effective field goal percentage of 50.3. A proven scorer and leader for the Duke Blue Devils, Tatum is a jewel for Coach K and it will be interesting to see how he matures as the spotlight gets brighter tonight and heading into the tournament.

Statistics courtesy of Basketball-reference.