Boston Celtics swingman Jayson Tatum is entering the ever-important Year 3 in his career, and head coach Brad Stevens has liked what he has seen from Tatum during training camp.
Stevens told Tim Bontemps of ESPN that Tatum has been assertive throughout the course of camp, and that his improvements in focused areas speaks to his work ethic:
“He's been great,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said, adding that this year's training camp has “by far” been Tatum's best yet. “He's shot it. He's drove it. He's been aggressive. He's not hesitating on his 3.
“I think that whatever he needed to improve on, it's been pretty obvious, but you still have to build those habits, and it takes time. He's really made great strides. I thought it started at the end of last year, continued through the summer, and now you can see it. [He knows], ‘This is what we are doing.'”
Tatum's stock went through the roofs after a scintillating run during the 2018 playoffs. The former Duke product averaged 18.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists during the postseason, and he scored at least 20 points during a seven-game stretch between the first round and the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Armed with good size and length, as well as a tremendous handle, Tatum seemed to be on the cusp of superstardom heading into his sophomore season.
Unfortunately, Tatum struggled to live up to the hype during the 2018-19 campaign. After shooting over 43 percent from beyond the arc in his rookie year, Tatum shot just over 37 percent last season while his Effective Field Goal Percentage plummeted from .538 to .506.
Still, Tatum is arguably the centerpiece of Boston's future. Will this be the year that he finally realizes his full potential?
Follow Us
Subscribe