Many questioned the Celtics taking Jayson Tatum, but he’s already proving his worth in the Summer League.
The Boston Celtics have made some questionable decisions this summer, especially when they traded the number one pick, a.k.a. Markelle Fultz, in favor of picking Jayson Tatum with the third overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Now Tatum is already battling high expectations, with many fans in Boston almost needing him to outperform Fultz to make the pick truly worth it. Well, Tatum got off to a solid start in his NBA debut for the Celtics in the Summer League opener on Monday night.
Tatum came up in the clutch against Fultz and the Philadelphia 76ers in his first action in green and white, as he scored the game-winner for the Celtics after an impressive first professional performance. The bucket put the Celtics up 89-88 in the game’s final seconds and helped Tatum edge Fultz in their first of what will surely be many battles throughout their career.
Earlier in the game, Tatum showed off more than an impressive scoring touch, as he went to the rim with authority for a huge slam.
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The rookie put up 21 points in his first minutes on the court as a Celtic, and he and 2016 third overall pick Jaylen Brown combined for 50 of the team’s points, which is definitely a good sign for the future of the team as they look to compete in the Eastern Conference.
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The Celtics have had a pretty uneventful offseason so far, as the team’s original pursuits of Jimmy Butler and Paul George fell through, and now they’re waiting on an official decision from Gordon Hayward after the team met with him on Sunday.
Despite the free agency failures, Tatum and Brown’s success may make the Celtics fans feel a little better about the team’s boring approach to the summer so far.