Larry Bird is one of the greatest Boston Celtics players of all time, up there with the great Bill Russell. No matter who you pick as the greatest Celtic of all time, Larry Bird is certainly the greatest wing in Celtics history. There is, perhaps, a new challenger for this spot, however.
Jayson Tatum has had an impressive career to this point. He has continued to improve every year, including making the All-NBA third team last year and the All-Star team this season. He's continued to grow as a shooter and scorer every year and he's likely to continue this improvement throughout his career. What can Tatum do to pass Larry Bird as the greatest wing in Celtics history? Is this even possible? Here are three things Tatum must do to surpass Larry Bird in the annals of Celtics history.
1) Win at the Highest Level
Larry Bird is the absolute definition of a winner. In his 13 seasons in the NBA, Bird won three championships and became the first non-center to win three back-to-back MVPs. Bringing three championships to Boston is a feat and he was the best player on some of the greatest teams of all time. Larry Bird helped put Boston, and the NBA at large, back on the map in the 1980s, and that helped to solidify his case as the greatest Celtic wing ever.
Jayson Tatum will need to bring a similar level of success to Boston if he wants to even come close to surpassing Bird. Tatum has already made the Eastern Conference Finals twice in his career, but he will have to continue that success and improve upon it. There is no exact number of rings that Tatum has to win to get Bird's level, but he does have to win.
2) Improve as a Playmaker
Larry Bird is one of the greatest passers of all time and was a monster in a Celtics uniform. At 6'10, he could make every pass in the book and he made all of his teammates better. He leveraged his scoring in a remarkable and unique way for his time. He turned the game inside-out as a passer and it is what allowed his teams to win at the highest levels.
The biggest weaknesses in Tatum's game is his lack of passing. He will never be the passer Larry Bird was, but he could certainly pick things up around the margins if he adds a passing element to his scoring arsenal. The team built around him could maximize this passing, but he still has to add specific passes to his arsenal. A little pocket pass here or a skip to the corner could take Tatum from a great player to a championship player.
3) Stay Healthy
By far the biggest drawback of Larry Bird's career was his injury history and lack of longevity. He only played 13 seasons in the NBA and only about nine of those seasons were truly healthy. He made the most of his time as an NBA player, but the time was limited nonetheless.
Jayson Tatum started with an advantage in this category as Larry Bird spent four years in college to Tatum's one. Tatum has also been fortunate to avoid injury thus far in his career, dating back even to high school. If he can remain healthy for a long period of time and stay with the Celtics, he could potentially surpass Bird as the greatest wing in the history of the Boston Celtics.
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