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Jayson Tatum’s Biggest Advantage Over Jackson and Isaac

By Michael James

Mar 17, 2017; Greenville, SC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Jayson Tatum (0) handles the ball against Troy Trojans forward DeVon Walker (25) during the second half in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2017; Greenville, SC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Jayson Tatum (0) handles the ball against Troy Trojans forward DeVon Walker (25) during the second half in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Celtics are likely to take one of the three elite wing prospects at #3. Tatum has one major advantage over Jackson and Isaac.

There is much debate over who the Celtics should take with their third overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Danny Ainge might trade the pick in a package for a star player, or trade back again to save cap space and gain future assets.

The most likely outcome is that the Celtics select the smooth scoring forward from Duke in Jayson Tatum. He worked out twice for the Celtics, while Jackson didn’t at all, and Isaac only once. Ainge puts a lot of stock in pre draft workouts, as they are perfect opportunities to ask all the questions you want to as well as run the drills you want to see.

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The comparison of Tatum, Jackson, and Isaac is a close one. Jackson and Isaac offer higher ceilings due to their defensive abilities and elite athleticism that can easily translate into offensive prowess. Tatum on the other hand is excellent on the offensive end, but needs some work on defense to become the two way star that Boston needs.

When looking at the comparison through that scope, it’s a matter of trade off. If the Celtics are more confident in Tatum learning to play defense on top of his polished offense than they are of Jackson becoming a go-to scorer on top of his elite defense, they’ll go with Tatum. If they aren’t confident in either, and they want a potentially perfect fit at power forward, they’ll go with Isaac.

But there’s another angle to this that is important to consider. Prospect’s age play a big part in where they get drafted. Teams don’t tend to pick college juniors and seniors high, even though they are probably better players right now, because they don’t have much more room to grow. All three prospects in question are college freshmen, but they are different ages by a considerable margin.

Tatum: 19.3 years

Jackson: 20.4 years

Isaac: 19.7 years

Tatum and Isaac aren’t that far apart, but the difference in their refined skills is much bigger in favor of a younger Tatum. Jackson is almost a full year older than these two players, and is much more raw than Tatum is.

Here is what the Celtics might see if they favor Tatum over Jackson and Isaac. Tatum is more polished on offense than most current NBA players, yet he turned 19 in March. Jackson is the age of a sophomore, so there is reason to believe that Tatum could surpass Jackson because they’re a year apart in their development.

The Celtics are a defensive oriented basketball team, and Brad Stevens makes his players earn their minutes through defense, except for Isaiah Thomas of course. Tatum has the potential to be a good defender that can guard four positions, but needs to be in the right situation to develop those skills.

I think that Boston is the best situation for that, because he will have to earn playing time by defending. On a team like Phoenix or Orlando, that need his scoring right away, his defense might not come along as well because he’ll be asked to do more on the offensive end.

Next: Hardwood Houdini Mock Draft: Lottery Picks

I was Team-Jackson for most of the week leading up to the draft, but now I think Tatum is the right pick. He’ll be able to provide much needed half court scoring right away, and be in a position where he’ll have to learn to defend at a high level to get on the court. All while being one of the younger prospects on the board, Tatum offers high-upside, and immediate production that Jaylen Brown did last year when Boston picked him.