Monday night's matchup between the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns provided two members of the Duke Brotherhood a chance to reunite. Grayson Allen was one of Jayson Tatum's veteran teammates during the latter's lone year in Durham, North Carolina.
Before tip-off at TD Garden, Allen shared what stood out to him about Tatum during their season together with the Blue Devils.
"When he was first there, the first week of being there, before we had any official practices or anything, like his skill level, he's probably the most skilled guy I'd seen there," voiced Allen.
"A bunch of one-and-dones while I was there, but in terms of like, the skill level, being able to create his own shot, get a good look up whenever he wanted, he was ahead of everyone who came in at that time. So I mean, it felt like he could have played in the NBA his first year at Duke, his last year in high school probably, just with where his individual scoring ability was."
Grayson Allen's check in with Jayson Tatum
When the Celtics were in Phoenix in late February, after Boston's 97-81 victory in the valley, Allen checked in to see how his former collegiate teammate was doing on his road to recovery.
"I talked to him a little bit after the game when we last played him. I think it's like [a] couple [of] weeks before he came back, and just asked him how it was going, and he didn't give me too much information," said Allen. "But from talking to him and talking to [Celtics assistant coach and former Duke teammate] Amile [Jefferson] too, I know he's been working extremely hard in the background."
That dedication, relentlessly attacking his rehab, has allowed Tatum to return from his Achilles tear in just under 10 months. Not only that, but he averaged 27 minutes per contest in his first three games back.
The six-time All-Star has repeatedly expressed his disdain for the idea of playing below his standard upon rejoining Boston's lineup. It wouldn't be fair to think a four straight All-NBA First Team selection would immediately return to being a top-five player in the league. However, Tatum has impressed at both ends of the floor.
He is already stuffing the statsheet again, averaging 19.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.3 steals.
Offensively, the 28-year-old star forward remains an engine who can orchestrate the show, creating for himself and others with his ability to attack off the dribble. His gravity is also a weapon that elevates the entire offense. He's also an ideal spot-up threat for his teammates to kick the ball out to.
At the other end of the floor, Tatum's rotations and closeouts are crisp, he's vocal, and still covers ground like an NFL free safety as a help defender down low. All of that doesn't even touch on his impact on the defensive glass, an area he is again excelling, consistently limiting opponents to one shot per possession.
In Saturday's 111-100 win over the Washington Wizards, Tatum became the first Celtic to have at least 20 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals in a regular-season contest since Paul Pierce in 2005, per NBC Sports Boston's stats guru, Dick Lipe.
Seeing his former Duke teammate not only back on the court but performing at that level puts a smile on Grayson Allen's face.
"It's awesome. I'm happy to see him back," expressed an enthusiastic Allen. "It's cool to come back and look like himself after that kind of injury. So, it's awesome. I mean, it makes it tougher for us playing against him," he quipped with a smile. "But it's cool to see."