Jayson Tatum is already shattering any expectations for himself, or rookies in general
Jayson Tatum has already shattered any expectations people had for him going into the season. Not only is he miles ahead of where people thought he would be on offense, but he has also been so much better on offense than anyone could expect out of any rookie.
Tatum is in the process of redefining standards for himself and for rookies, and the most amazing part is there is no ceiling in sight. As a rookie, Tatum is doing all the things that rookies never do, and he is doing too well with his opportunities to not get incredibly excited about what he can do with more.
As a rookie, you are not supposed to be one of the most trusted players in the fourth quarter, and yet Brad Stevens trusts him to play a full 12 minutes. Rookies are not supposed to be able to take and hit every important shot that is needed, and yet Tatum is a league leader in clutch shooting percentage.
Rookies are not supposed to be able to come into a a championship contending situation at 19 years old, and not only fit in perfectly on both ends, but complement each of his teammates any time they are playing together.
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Tatum looks and acts nothing like a rookie, and there may not be any adequate comparison. We have seen Stevens get remarkable efficiency out of players before, but nothing even close to what Tatum is doing. On top of that, he is doing it in so many different ways. It is not as if Stevens has found one particular way Tatum needs to attack, and he is embracing it.
Instead, he is still discovering how many different ways he can use Tatum. You will not find many historical comparison of a rookie that is able to do every single thing on the court as well as Tatum. Right now, Ben Simmons is in the lead for rookie of the year, but he is not as flawless as Simmons.
Simmons is carrying a bigger load, and have a greater impact, but his shooting struggles are very real. With Tatum, there is not one single area you can look at and say he struggles in, and that is a standard we may have never seen before from a rookie.
For himself, Tatum is changing even the biggest optimists minds, because there really is no ceiling what so ever. Tatum has only just started his rookie season, and the standard he has already set is that he can be trusted in every situation, and he will capitalize on every opportunity. Tatum was supposed to be good, but not this good.
Tatum was supposed to be a great three point shooter, but he is leading the league from beyond the arc, with his sights set on a nearly impossible 50/50/90 season. It is impossible to have any idea of what can be expected from Tatum later in his career, because it feels like he is going to blow away anything that Stevens might ask of him.
Tatum has already set a new standard for what can be expected form a 19 year old rookie, and he is leaving us with no realistic standard of what he can become. We cannot say he is definitely the most talented player on a team with Kyrie Irving, but we are also at a point where we cannot say he will never become that good.
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Tatum has been one of the most exciting parts of this season for the Celtics, and the best part is anticipating what is going to come next. They needed someone to step up in a major way to try and make up for that loss, and Tatum is the biggest difference so far. He clearly as the ability to be a main scorer for this roster, and it feels like just a matter of time before Stevens unleashes his volume and see how far he can go this season.