The NBA is in elite young hands at the moment, the league is overflowing with quality young stars that are ready to make it their own. Jayson Tatum is one of those stars, having led the Celtics to the 2nd seed in the regular season and helping them gain a 2-0 advantage over the Brooklyn Nets in their first-round series.
Lots of analysts are extremely high on Tatum and how good he already is, but not everyone is seemingly convinced. Talking about the young superstar on ESPN’s First Take, Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo suggested that another young superstar who doesn’t get talked about in the same way is already on Tatum’s level. He backed New Orleans Pelicans man Brandon Ingram as being just as elite as Tatum is.
“I’ll tell you who I think is as good as he is? Brandon Ingram.”
Jayson Tatum and Brandon Ingram entered the league one year apart, but Tatum has already become the centerpiece of his franchise while Ingram is just about making himself the best player on the Pelicans. And that’s with Zion Williamson out through injury. Ingram is excellent and has shown a lot of promise, but Tatum leads him in every major statistical category except assists, while also playing better defense.
Brandon Ingram is a fantastic player, but comparing his achievements at this time to Tatum isn’t exactly a fair take, considering that Tatum also has more All-Star nods and has enjoyed a lot more playoff success. Comparing the two at this time isn’t quite fair to either, Tatum has looked very much like one of the best players in the league this season.
These playoffs will also go a long way in aiding any narratives in this case. Tatum could very well beat the Brooklyn Nets with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, while Ingram’s Pelicans just went down 2-1 against the Phoenix Suns who are missing Devin Booker. Time will tell which take is correct, but so far, Tatum has certainly been the more prolific and complete player.
