Boston Celtics young stud Jayson Tatum is already in All-Star form early into the season. Tatum, who was 20 years and 227 days old for Tuesday's opener, became the youngest Celtic to score at least 20 points in a season opener.
Jayson Tatum is the youngest player in @celtics history to score at least 20 points in a season opener. #CUsRise
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) October 17, 2018
Tatum scored 23 points while making nine of his 17 shots from the field in a 105-87 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. He also added nine rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes. On a night when stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward struggled with their shots, the team turned to Tatum and the 6-foot-8 forward delivered.
The sophomore forward put on a show in his dazzling performance. Tatum displayed a variety of silky smooth moves and incredible footwork rarely seen in a 20-year-old player. He mesmerized the crowd with his improved pull-ups and step-backs, even mildly taunting Joel Embiid after scoring on an isolation jumper against the Sixers' star big man.
Interestingly, the player who previously held this record was Tatum's teammate, Jaylen Brown. Brown was 20 years and 358 days old when he scored 25 points in last year's season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
If this trend continues for the stacked Celtics, one could argue that Tatum could become one of the top go-to-guys for the team, with an All-Star ticket not far away on the horizon.
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