Marcus Smart had big praise for Jayson Tatum ahead of the NBA return. The Boston Celtics are seen as one of the teams that win the East this season and play in the Finals, with Smart and Tatum having important roles during their playoffs run. Jayson is one of the future faces of the league and Smart knows his teammate can do impressive things in the association.
During a video conference with reporters on Tuesday, Marcus revealed when he knew Tatum was going to be great, remembering the 2018 playoffs run they had:
“I would probably say the playoffs in his rookie year. Just the impact he had, just the confidence he played with, and the mindset that he played with, you could definitely see that this guy was going to be special,” Smart said. “He was 20 or 21 at the time. It’s tremendous to see his progression, aiming for the stars and shooting for the moon, literally, that’s him. The things he’s capable of on the offensive end.
“I think (one thing that’s) a little under-talked about is his defensive end. He’s 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot wingspan. He’s actually sitting down and guarding guys, let alone coming down on the offensive end and doing what he’s doing.”
“I just think that he’s on the right track to becoming, like I said, if not the best, one of the best players to ever do this in this game.”
Marcus Smart on Jayson Tatum: “I think that he’s on the right track to becoming if not the best player, one of the best players to ever [play] this game.”
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) July 7, 2020
Now Smart and the rest of the Celtics are hopeful to see Tatum continuing his great moment and take the Celtics to have a long playoff run. This season he earned his first call to the All-Star game and is one of our candidates for the MIP award this campaign.
Tatum is only 22 and he’s already doing big things. This man has everything to become successful in this league and who knows, maybe we’re seeing the GOAT of the next generation.
