Former Boston Celtics forward Antoine Walker made a bold statement about current rising star Jayson Tatum.
Walker appeared on First Things First on Fox Sports 1 and claimed that Tatum has undoubtedly arrived as that “next Celtic,” going as far as comparing him to Larry Bird and Paul Pierce in terms of being the face of the franchise.
"What Jayson Tatum is doing on the offensive end, he's that next Celtic. He's that next Larry Bird, he's that next Paul Pierce for the Boston Celtics. Jayson Tatum has arrived." — @WalkerAntoine8 pic.twitter.com/PvWJ9WXq56
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) February 27, 2020
Throughout the storied Celtics franchise, only a few have that distinct honor of instantly being associated with the Green and White. When one thinks of Boston Celtics in the 1980s, they would instantly think of Larry Bird. Most recently, Paul Pierce also earned that distinction with his amazing 15 years in Boston.
Now, Tatum — who made his first All-Star appearance this year — has a chance to become that guy for the Celtics.
Tatum's promising rookie campaign gave Celtics fans hope that he could be their next franchise star. And while his takeoff didn't happen in his sophomore campaign, where most expected him to do so, they are absolutely salivating seeing the youngster make the ascension and tap into his massive potential in just his third NBA season.
The 21-year-old swingman has been balling out his mind, especially over the past month. Through 12 games this February, including Saturday's 32-point performance (9-of-27 FG) in a loss to the Houston Rockets, Tatum averaged 30.7 points on 49.3 percent shooting from the field and 48.1 percent from three.
Antoine Walker did temper his claims by saying that Jayson Tatum still has a lot to work on. Definitely, Tatum is far from a finished product at this point, but he is still young and that's what makes him more terrifying.
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