When the Boston Celtics decided to trade the top pick of this year’s draft, many wondered why they gave it up. As it turned out, they were already planning to select Jayson Tatum and felt like they could still get him with the third pick, while getting additional assets with the deal they struck with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Danny Ainge and company saw his potential to become an integral part of their rotation and their future plans as well and even Al Horford saw it the same way, according to Steve Bullpett of the Boston Herald. Although Tatum has not played a single game in the NBA yet, the former All-Star center already witnessed during the start of training camp his unique skill set which could make him receive significant playing time and have an important role for them.

“Yeah,” Horford said. “No question. No question. He can score the ball. He rebounds pretty well. He’s shown it here the first couple of days. And he has a good sense on the court. He has a good feel of playing, and sometimes that’s harder for rookies. It takes them time to find their place. It’s early, but I have seen those things from him and I like that.”

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The 19-year-old Duke product had a solid stint in the NCAA, where he averaged impressive numbers of 16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks in 33.3 minutes per game. His excellence on both ends of the floor was also in full display during the Summer League where he had a number of solid performances that turned a lot of heads.

There may be a logjam in their small forward rotation, which is Tatum’s natural position, but his ability to also play at the four spot will give head coach Brad Stevens more versatility with his lineup. If he can continue his development in the coming years, it won’t be surprising if his playing time further increases and he could even become a starter for the C’s.