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Boston Celtics third-year man Jayson Tatum is unquestionably one of the most promising youngsters in the league today with several players believing he is All-Star caliber. So much so, that even legendary San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich once spoke to the 6-foot-8 forward about what coach Pop believed to be Tatum's untapped potential.
The conversation went down during Jayson Tatum's stint with Team USA last summer, during which he had the privilege of being under the tutelage of Popovich. Serving as the national team's head coach, coach Pop took Tatum aside at one point during practice, and straightforwardly told the Celtics stud that he firmly believes that Tatum could become one of the best two-way players in the league somewhere down the road.
“Do you know how special you can be?” Popovich asked, via Jackie MacMullan of ESPN. “There are very few two-way players in our game, and you have the opportunity to be one of them. You could be like Kawhi [Leonard] and Paul George.”
Tatum was so surprised he didn't answer at first, prompting Popovich to hastily add, “I hope I haven't offended you.”
“Offended me?” Tatum said. “That's a compliment!”
The Celtics forward needed a moment to process what Pop had just told him before he could react to the daunting statement. Pop is as big as they come in the league, and for him to give such high praise will definitely have a significant impact on Tatum for the rest of what is looking like a very promising career with the Celtics.
