Boston Celtics: TNT crew debates Jayson Tatum’s All-Star bid

The All-Star starters were announced on TNT Thursday night, and Boston Celtics’ star Jayson Tatum was a topic of discussion. Panelists Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley both included Jaylen Brown on their All-Star roster, while Tatum was absent. On the contrary, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson included JT in their reserve unit.

The four agreed on JB, James Harden, Domantas Sabonis, and Julius Randle all making the team, with the last three spots up the air. Notable names to make it over Tatum on their lists included Jimmy Butler, Ben Simmons, and Trae Young.

From a purely statistical perspective, Jayson Tatum has certainly had an All-Star year for the Boston Celtics. Averaging 25.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.7 assists on 45% shooting from the field and 39% from three, the fourth-year pro has continued to blossom into a superstar. All of his numbers have gone up, including his overall workload, playing more than 35 minutes a night while holding an insane usage rate of 31.4%. That number is the highest in the league for any forward.

Jayson Tatum is an All-Star for the Boston Celtics

His biggest improvement this year has been his playmaking, acting as the ball-handler in more and more offensive sets for coach Brad Stevens. This can be seen in his massively improved assist percentage, sitting in the 91st percentile at 21.8%. That’s up more than 7% from last season, as each game he’s adding more and more passes to his arsenal.

It’s clear the Boston Celtics have relied on him early on in the season as when he’s on the court, the Cs are a whopping 8.6 points per 100 possessions. This is mostly found on the offensive end, as the Celtics score more points, shoot more efficiently, and turn the ball over less when he’s running the offense.

On defense, he has taken a bit of a step back as he’s increased his offensive load but has still had an above-average defensive season. The team gives up two fewer points per 100 possessions when he’s out there, while Tatum specifically has impressive steal, foul, and defensive rebound percentages. All of those stats indicate that JT is good at limiting the opponents to one shot per trip, something that has plagued Boston in years past.

When looking at his competitors for All-Star spots, Jimmy Butler jumps out as the least deserving. This isn’t taking away anything from Butler as a player, as we all saw what he can do last year in the NBA bubble. However, he’s only played 16 games this season, and the Heat are somehow having a worse start than the Celtics, so it would be surprising if he got in.

Ben Simmons is next on the list of candidates, averaging 15.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 8.0 assists in 25 games this year. Simmons was expected to improve drastically each year after his rookie of the year campaign and simply hasn’t. He is averaging a career-low in points, turning the ball over at a ridiculous rate (17.2%), and has struggled to find his way in the Philadelphia offense. When Joel Embiid is out, the 76ers have trouble closing out games because Simmons cannot be that guy.

On the positive side, he may be the best defender in the league at guarding all five positions, providing an unmeasurable amount of flexibility to Doc Rivers’ defense. He’s also remained a great passer as well, and cannot be stopped on the fastbreak. But will he be awarded an All-Star spot after averaging a career-low and showing little signs of improvement?

Finally, there’s Trae Young, who the Boston Celtics are most definitely familiar with after his performance against them Wednesday night. Averaging 26.5 points and 9.3 assists per night while shooting 43% from the field and 37% from beyond the arc, he has led the Atlanta Hawks to playoff contention. Sitting at 12-16, their record might not be good enough to warrant an All-Star bid for Young, as he himself has had off games throughout the year, scoring fewer points on worse efficiency on a nightly basis.

There are plenty of candidates for bench All-Star spots, and Jayson Tatum is deserving of one.