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Jayson Tatum Will Be Put To The Test On Opening Night

By Jack Phillips

BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 9: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics handles the ball during the preseason game against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 9, 2017 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 9: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics handles the ball during the preseason game against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 9, 2017 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Boston Celtics are putting their 19 year old rookie to test on opening night

The Boston Celtics are set to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Quicken Loans Arena, and this matchup is going to be one of the best battles of the 2018 season. With both teams looking a lot different from the previous season, all players will be looking to set the tone for the new NBA season.

This matchup is going to be heated. Think about it, Boston was eliminated in the same building by the same team just five months ago and now the rivalry picks up right where we left off. On top of that, we get to see Kyrie Irving and Lebron James matching up against one another, the reunion of Isaiah Thomas and his ex-team, and probably the preview of the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals.

Honestly, this matchup seems to have so many mini-battles shadowed by the overall battle between the two teams (Kyrie vs. James, Kyrie vs. Cleveland, Thomas vs. Boston, etc.) Although Thomas won’t be playing for a while, there is still going to be some bad blood between the two sides (his quotes regarding Danny Ainge a couple of weeks ago sure settled that).

But I think one thing that fans are overlooking is the fact that Jayson Tatum might be making his first career start in his first career NBA game. For comparison, Markelle Fultz will actually be riding the bench for the Philadelphia 76ers, and he was the 1st pick in the draft.

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Think about it though, Tatum gets to play his first game as an NBA player in the middle of one of the most tension-filled matchups in NBA history. With that being said, it brings up the question of whether Tatum has what it takes to start in this game (notice how I emphasized “this” Celtics fans, because any other game there would be no question).

Well, Tatum had a wonderful preseason. He proved that he deserved to be a top 3 draft pick and excited Celtics fans all over the globe. However, if it wasn’t for the additions of Irving and Gordon Hayward, I don’t think that the decision to start Tatum would be such an easy one.

By the way, I know that Marcus Morris is expected to miss the first week of the season (thank to our very own Joshua Bateman), but assuming that Morris was healthy, I don’t think Tatum would be starting as Morris had starting experience with the Detroit Pistons and actual NBA regular season experience.

But that’s no knock on Jayson’s game, because I know that the man is going to find success in Boston as long as he continues to work hard and stays healthy. I just think that there is going to be a lot of pressure riding on this young man, which will make it even more difficult for him to have a successful first career game.

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Regardless, Tatum is probably going to start for the Celtics, and fans should be excited. With all of the pressure on this matchup, Tatum has a great chance to show how talented he truly is in a Celtics uniform. I think it’s safe to say that Tatum is going to be put to the test on opening night, let’s just hope he’s guarding Jae Crowder rather than the King (although matching up with Crowder might be a tad awkward).

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