Jayson Tatum, the new rookie of the Boston Celtics, is having an excellent year. He is currently averaging 13.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists for the Celtics, while shooting 45 percent from deep. Tatum isn't an explosive rookie, at least not yet. However, his poise and his penchant for high percentage 3-point shooting has made him a viable starter for the Celtics at 19 years of age.

At this point in the NBA season, he's considered to be one of the front-runners for the Rookie of the Year Award, along with Kyle Kuzma, Ben Simmons, and Donovan Mitchell. Still, it's no coincidence that Tatum has modeled his game closely after Celtics legend Paul Pierce. In fact, Tatum's dad said he instructed his son to pattern his game after Pierce because he wasn't particularly athletic.

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“It started when I was younger because all I used to want to do was shoot fadeaways like Kobe. He was my favorite player. But my dad was always like, ‘Listen, you need to watch The Truth. Paul Pierce. He’s athletic but he’s not the most athletic guy, and he still found a way to get his shot up every time.’ He was like, ’That’s what you are. You have size and footwork.’ I started watching you, and I was like, yeah, I see that.”

Pierce and Tatum are actually quite alike in their offensive games. Like Pierce, Tatum is a shooting small forward with potential to become a stalwart on the offensive end. He has a long way to go to match's Pierce's legacy, but Tatum has all of the tools to become a future Celtics legend himself.