The Boston Celtics have one of the fastest rising young stars in the NBA. Where does he rank among the rest of the league’s ascending elites?
Jayson Tatum is on the fast track to superstardom and really has been since he helped lead the Boston Celtics to within one game of the NBA Finals during his first postseason. This season, he has made the jump to potential superstar to likely superstar.
Via his meteoric February when Kemba Walker was out, Tatum became an All-Star and leader in 2019-20 as the C’s withstood injuries to key players including prized free-agent signee Kemba Walker. Tatum, like he did when Kyrie Irving went down two seasons ago, assumed the offensive burden and attacked defenses head-on as the top scoring option.
The future is certainly bright in Boston, as many media members and former stars have come forward to praise the 22-year-old including former six-time NBA Champion Scottie Pippen:
Scottie Pippen: “If [the Celtics are] to make a run, it has to rely on [Jayson] Tatum’s ability to carry them, offensively, and I feel like he’s totally ready [to be best player on a championship-caliber team].” pic.twitter.com/fqe2fJT7AS
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) July 6, 2020
Tatum could theoretically be ahead of schedule already. The Boston Celtics have already come so close to the mountaintop, and that was on a team missing their two highest-paid players. Now, he is surrounded by a core that plays together and suits his talents.
Assuming he is yet to scratch the surface of how good he can be, how does he rank among his peers who are similarly expected to one day be franchise cornerstones?
No. 6: Brandon Ingram
Brandon Ingram took a bit to reach an All-Star level. Originally drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers, Ingram didn’t find his footing with the playoff-starved franchise and was traded him away as part of the package that netted them Anthony Davis.
The flashes he showed in Tinseltown have become more consistent displays of basketball prowess in New Orleans, and Ingram is now an All-Star with the Pelicans. His ceiling is high, but with Zion Williamson (more on him later) back in the mix, Ingram is likely going to have to settle into being the #2 guy on a team that seems ready to be a regular playoff fixture.
No. 5: Trae Young
While Trae Young has ascended to not just an All-Star level, but to the level of an All-Star starter, he has yet to lead his team to any sort of success. The Atlanta Hawks are bottom feeders in the Eastern Conference, and they’re not comically short on talent for it to be completely justified on Young’s part.
The point guard has opened eyes with his incredible shooting and distributing numbers, but until he shows he can lead a team to success, he ranks below other peers who have experienced success at a team level.
No. 4: Ja Morant
Ja Morant has burst onto the scene and revitalized a Memphis Grizzlies franchise that likely thought a long rebuild was in the cards after trading away both Marc Gasol and Mike Conley over the past year.
The Grit N’ Grind era in Memphis is over, but whatever era Morant is leading them into, the team is in good hands with a point guard who seems ready to assume the role of franchise cornerstone not even one year into his new gig.
No. 3: Jayson Tatum
Realistically, Jayson Tatum has more accomplishments than anyone else on this list. While he has never started an All-Star game like Young or Luka Dioncic, he has led his team to playoff success in his first season…something only Ja Morant or Zion Williamson can potentially lay claim to if either can somehow sneak past the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.
Tatum’s not the passer that the other guys on this list are, but he is arguably the most skilled one on one scorer of any player drafted since 2017. He is also an underrated defender, which is starting to not be the case given the praise his teammate Marcus Smart recently bestowed upon him.
No. 2: Zion Williamson
Even though Zion Williamson hasn’t played more than 20 games so far in his career, one look at the 2019 first-round pick in action tells you everything you need to know about the prospects of the New Orleans Pelicans having potentially one of the most dominant athletes this league has ever seen.
Williamson can do a lot for his young legacy if he is able to lead the Pelicans to the playoffs in his rookie year, but regardless of what happens in the Lake Buena Vista bubble, Williamson is going to be a superstar in this league for a very long time.
No. 1: Luka Dioncic
Luka Dioncic is having such an incredible sophomore season that he is already in MVP consideration at 21 years old. After being passed on for worries about how his game would translate from Europe in the 2018 draft, Dioncic has become one of the league’s marquee names after leading the Dallas Mavericks to the playoffs in his second season…barring unprecedented catastrophe in the bubble.
While Williamson may have a higher ceiling based on athleticism and physicality alone, Dioncic has a much higher floor. He already is spearheading the most dominant offense in history while leading a young team to the postseason in the shark-infested waters of the western conference.