Jayson Tatum's latest proclamation should scare the rest of the NBA

The Boston Celtics are one of the best teams in the NBA. That much isn’t surprising. They won a championship last year and brought back nearly an identical roster. They were expected to be sitting toward the top of the Eastern Conference this year. But Jayson Tatum may be surprising some people.

After his rough showing in the postseason and during the Olympics, the discourse surrounding Tatum’s play went too far. An extended shooting slump was enough to completely change the narrative around Tatum, but so far this year, he’s completely proved the doubters wrong with the way he’s been playing.

And based on his latest comments, the rest of the league should be scared. (H/t Noa Dalzell of SB Nation)

Jayson Tatum is just getting started

After the Celtics’ recent 139-114 win over the Brooklyn Nets, Tatum spoke about his hot start to the season, proclaiming that he feels the best he’s ever felt from a physical standpoint.

“I mean, it’s only 13 games, so we still got a long way to go to compare it to other seasons. But I think I’m getting older in the sense of being in better physical shape,” Tatum said. “Being at 26, this is the best, physically, I’ve felt compared to other years. And I think that’s just me coming into my own. And just picking up from where we left off last year and knowing what we’re trying to achieve and knowing that it starts from Day 1.”

On Wednesday night against the Nets, Tatum put up 36 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists while shooting 12-of-19 from the floor and 5-of-6 from behind the three-point line.

And his stats for the year are almost just as impressive. So far this season, Tatum is averaging 30.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists while shooting 46.7% from the floor and 37.8% from beyond the arc.

But the reason Tatum’s statement should scare the rest of the league is because of what it means for the future.

Tatum is only 26 years old and will be until the beginning of March. If this is the best he’s ever felt, that just means he still has room to grow. The Celtics superstar has made three straight All-NBA First Teams and is on pace to make a fourth—and he says he feels better than ever.

If Tatum still has another level to get to, especially from a physical standpoint, that could spell danger for the rest of the league.