In a manner reminiscent of his idol Kobe Bryant, Jayson Tatum has taken over in multiple playoff games even as a youngster
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With today’s announcement of this season’s All-NBA teams, Jayson Tatum‘s status in the league at age 24 was made clear. Tatum has developed into arguably a top 5 player in the league, an impressive feat considering his relative inexperience.
Tatum has carried on his impressive showings to the post-season too. With the Celtics merely 2 wins away from a Finals appearance, the pressure is mounting on Tatum and Co.
Tatum has answered the call on several occasions for the Celtics. His outburst against the Bucks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semis was just another example.
Tatum was drafted by the Celtics in the 2017 NBA draft with the 3rd overall pick. He came into a Celtics team with a young core and was soon joined by superstar Kyrie Irving.
The young Celtics along with veterans like Al Horford and Marcus Morris made a few inroads in the playoffs, even making the Conference Finals in 2018.
This, therefore, isn’t Tatum’s first deep postseason run or his breakout in the Playoff environment.
How do the records of Jayson Tatum and Kobe Bryant compare at age 24?
Tatum’s ascendance aligning with Boston having a competitive team resulted in him being part of deep playoff runs from early in his career.
In a manner reminiscent of his idol Kobe Bryant, Tatum also took over in playoff games even as a youngster. In fact, if Tatum adds 14 points in Game 5 versus the Heat he would become the fastest player not named Kobe to score 1500 postseason points.
Playing in his third Conference Finals already, Tatum has made quite the Playoff resume already. With their young core maturing, the Celtics are a true contender this time around.
Winning a ring and getting a Finals MVP trophy isn’t beyond the realm of imagination for Tatum. With 6 strong showings, Tatum and the Celtics can be champions. And Tatum, a “veteran” of 5 Playoff runs must already be licking his lips at the proposition.
