LOS ANGELES – Last season was a forgettable one for Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum. The sophomore campaign wasn't a step forward for the up-and-comer as he seemed to take two steps back.
However, this season has been a different story entirely for the soon-to-be 22-year-old. Tatum has taken the league by storm this year bouncing back with a vengeance and earning his first All-Star selection. Not only has he made everyone in Boston forget about Kyrie Irving, but he's proven that he might be the next Celtics superstar and on Sunday he continued to make an impression by dropping 41 points on the arch-rival Los Angeles Lakers.
“He's one of the best players in the world,” Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said of Tatum. “He was in the All-Star game for a reason. He has the ability to go for what would've been potential 50, 60-point night had we not brought extreme double teams the better part of the second half. He's an excellent defender as well.”
The Lakers had absolutely no answer for Tatum on Sunday afternoon at the Staples Center. The former Duke star was virtually unstoppable when he had the ball in his hand with LeBron James and company helpless to stop his offensive onslaught.
“The kid is special,” LeBron said of Tatum. “Obviously that's a reason he's a first-time All-Star and he's been special all year. Down the stretch, we put [Kentavious Caldwell-Pope] on him as a designated defender, but he had eight eyes behind him. He had four guys and eight eyes on him just trying to help him talk, communicate, just trying to make it tough on the kid. But he was special all night.”
Tatum finished the night with 41 points, which ties his career-high in the category. He was incredibly difficult to stop, especially considering how efficient he was going 12-for-20 from the floor, 3-for-7 from beyond the arc, and 13-for-15 from the free-throw line.
Although the Celtics were unable to get the best of LeBron's Lakers on Sunday, the team proved they can still compete with the elite teams in the league even with Walker out with an injury. Tatum continues to show the rest of the league he may be ready for superstardom as his teammate Jaylen Brown believes.
“Tatum has reached a new height man,” Brown said of his Celtics teammate. “He's at a superstar level and we all have to continue to improve and go with him. The way he's playing is unreal. We have to continue to find ways that allow him to reach his potential, but at the same time, we need to continue to find ways to win games and be the team that we're supposed to be. He's been playing unreal man. It's a joy to watch him, but I wish we could have got the win. To come in here and do what he did to the Lakers… not too many people can say they did that.”
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