The Golden State Warriors romped their way through the Western Conference to return to the NBA Finals after a two-year absence that saw the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks win championships. The Warriors fell short in 2019 due to injuries and are even more motivated to win the title this year than they have been in years prior.
However, the Warriors need to contend with slowing down mercurial Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum down in the Finals. This won’t be easy, something that even Golden State head coach Steve Kerr understands.
After having to gameplan for LeBron James for multiple Finals, Steve Kerr will now face the player that might be the forward of the future in Tatum. That challenge isn’t lost on him, and slowing Tatum down is something Kerr is going to focus on.
Steve Kerr on Jayson Tatum: pic.twitter.com/cFbta0hjsZ
— C.J. Holmes (@HolmesScribe) May 30, 2022
“One of the very best in the league for sure. He can beat you in a lot of different ways and has a combination of size and skill and speed, it is very rare. Obviously, he’s a key guy for them.”
Tatum has been proving a lot of his doubters wrong this season. He made his debut appearance on the All-NBA First Team this season, while also being one of the finalists for MVP. After being crowned the Eastern Conference Finals MVP, Tatum will be a key piece behind how the Warriors gameplan to beat the Celtics. Boston has proven they can have success without Tatum being the one to deliver, but it sure is nicer to have the star be the leader on the court.
The Warriors will have wings like Andrew Wiggins and Otto Porter Jr. take the responsibility on Tatum, with Draymond Green being a key off-ball defensive presence in those situations. If the Warriors can slow Tatum down, that is half the battle won for them and that is something Steve Kerr recognizes.
