When a legend speaks, everyone should listen. Recently, Hall of Famer Julius Erving shared his thoughts on Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics.
Erving, who put the whole city of Philadelphia on the world map due to his dunking ability, said that Tatum should've been the number one overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. To recall, Tatum was picked third behind Lonzo Ball and Markelle Fultz.
Via ESPN, Dr. J said:
“Tatum probably should have been the first pick in the draft,” Dr. J said Thursday morning on ESPN's Get Up!
“He was there. I guess it was all about the fit. We took Fultz. Philly took Fultz. Obviously his rookie year, I think he'll be a rookie again next year, sort of like [Ben] Simmons, because of all the injuries.”
Erving's comments are not necessarily jabs at Fultz. He explained that Tatum's playstyle would be a better fit for the Sixers' roster right now. After all, the team already has Ben Simmons as a point guard. Fultz himself is also a point guard by nature. Tatum, a slasher and scorer by default, would definitely mesh well with a pass-first player like Simmons.
He continued, noting that Tatum has the potential to be a superstar one day:
“Tatum has been awesome,” Erving said. “When you get a player who can raise the level of his game come playoff time, then you've got somebody special, because usually after college, it's tough to make it to the next level. That's why only a handful of players really make it to the next level.”
Follow Us
Subscribe