There has been no shortage of speculation and forecasting what it will look like when Jayson Tatum returns to the Celtics, which, by all accounts, is likely to be very soon. Most of the focus is on how JT will look physically, if he’ll have his same burst, and how his body will react to playing live NBA action for the first time in almost a year.
Another part of the conversation revolves around how Tatum will fit into this new team with a new identity, on which Jaylen Brown has become the clear alpha.
The latter point is a non-issue, as Jayson will be purely additive to this team. He and JB, along with the rest of the supporting cast, are simply too good and too smart of players. With an elite coach like Joe Mazzulla and a clear and consistent organizational focus, there should be no concern with Tatum “fitting in”.
Celtics young wings will take a back seat
But one thing that has become a bit of a worry, in a weird way, is that as exciting as it will be for Tatum to return to the lineup, it’s going to be bittersweet to see some of these young, up-and-comers see their roles limited.
One of the biggest things that has made this season so fun and special has been the stunning play of the young wings. Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, Jordan Walsh, and even Ron Harper Jr. have all taken huge leaps, and the defense, rebounding, shooting, and nonstop relentless energy have become synonymous with the Celtics.
Yet, the return of Boston’s best player, the five-time All-NBA wing in Tatum, is certainly going to mean fewer minutes for those guys. Even as he’s eased in, you’d imagine JT will start off around 20-25 minutes and work his way up from there. Those minutes are going to have to come from somewhere, and the Baylor/Hugo/Jordan trio is most likely.
All three of those guys bring a portion of what Tatum does, and share in part the role he will occupy. They’ve each seen their minutes fluctuate and have all had chances to start, and other times when they’ve been on the fringe of the rotation, but they’re all averaging between 15 and 18 minutes per game.
Hugo, Walsh, and Scheierman should still be big part of future
There’s no debating that they’ve each impressed and surpassed any expectations thus far, and while some growth may be stunted by Tatum’s return, hopefully, they’ll be around for a long time and take on bigger roles in the near future.
It’s obviously a necessary evil, and slotting JT right back in for any of those players is a no-brainer, but it’s still a shame to see their minutes cut as they are all having breakout seasons and developing into, at least, quality two-way role players at the most valuable position in the league.
Maybe Joe will use Tatum as a one-for-one replacement of a player, as Bill Simmons theorized on his latest podcast about Scheierman. Or maybe Joe will just take a little off each plate and try to keep everyone engaged. Heck, he will probably switch it up on a near-nightly basis and ensure there are no “patterns’ to his rotations.
But no matter how you slice it, lost in the excitement of a Tatum return - and don’t get me wrong, that excitement is 110% warranted and justified - there has to be a little piece of Celtics fans that’s a little sad to see less of these great young wing players who are among some of the best development stories in the entire NBA.