SI: Celtics' Tatum is 'most likely to succeed' NBA rookie

http://www.csnne.com/boston-celtics/si-celtics-tatum-most-likely-succeed-nba-rookie







SI: Celtics' Tatum is 'most likely to succeed' NBA rookie



By CSN REPORT


August 09, 2017 8:50 PM



Sports Illustrated was passing out the superlatives for the upcoming NBA's season's rookie class and Celtics' forward Jayson Tatum is their "most likely to succeed."

But SI calls No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz the "most likely to win rookie of the year." So apparently, SI, via writer Deante Prince, are higher on the long-term development of Tatum.

Here's Prince's assessment of the rookie the Celtics traded down to the No. 3 spot for (Tatum says the C's would have selected him, and not Fultz, even if they had kept the No. 1 pick):

There are players with glitzier games and bigger shoe contracts, but few are more versatile than Jayson Tatum, who flashed the full range of his talents at Summer League. He’s been called Paul George Lite before, but the comparison feels more apt now. Obviously that projection hinges on how he develops. In Boston, though, he will have the luxury of being brought along slowly. Celtics president Danny Ainge coveted Tatum so much that one has to believe his future in Boston will be a bright one.

Among SI's other superlatives is "Most Likely to Have a Parent Storm the Court" - the Lakers' Lonzo Ball, and his omnipresent father, LaVar, are the runaway winners there.




bob
MY NOTE:  I'll take "Most Likely to Succeed" over ROY anyday especially when Tatum won't be getting the minutes to showcase himself like Fultz and Ball and Jackson will get.  Michael Carter-Williams was the ROY, where's his career at now?

Nice to see Ball getting some notice from SI too. LOL.


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I think all 3 could compete for ROY honors except Fultz and Ball will be day-1 starters and Tatum will be fighting for rotation minutes unless Boston moves one of their SF

I think all three are most likely to succeed.


dboss

If Tatum actually turns into the most successful rookie in his class (three years, four years from now?), Ainge should get a pay raise, and the Cs will be that much closer to more championship banners.

I can only hope that the article's prediction turns out to be true.

I would speculate that Tatum may be getting more minutes than most expect, roughly by mid-season.

Most would put Crowder and Morris in the starting rotation earning bigger minutes.  Despite all the talk of position-less basketball, Brad didn't really play it last year (watch a Duke game if you want to see something closer to what it looks like).  Unless the offense changes some, and it may, Crowder is a SF and Morris a PF.  Tatum fits either of those roles/skill sets.  He's a wing if you want to make the position-less argument, but could potentially mature physically enough to be a big.  We'll have to see how Tatum can hang with the big boys, but it looks like he's going to have a superior offensive game to either of those two.  We need more scorers than Thomas and Hayward.  Tatum also seems to have the understanding, positioning and speed he'll need in the NBA on the defensive end.  If Cleveland falters at all, and we have any type of hole to fill for the stretch run, it wouldn't surprise me if Tatum made Morris, or more likely Crowder, expendable.

I'm not including Brown in this discussion, because I expect some experimenting with him as a shooting guard.  For those enamored with position-less basketball (I like it, when it's truly used) then I would have to consider Brown a wing and he might enter into the conversation.

Beyond that, I agree with dboss; Fultz, Ball and Tatum all look like they'll have an excellent chance to be successful this season.

For those of you who doubt that the "A" in Stephen A. Smith stands for Asshole, here's a little more evidence to prove he is.  This is pre-draft, of course.

http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2017/06/boston_celtics_trade_rumors_20_253.html


Boston Celtics trade rumors 2017: Stephen A. Smith believes team will use third pick to chase Jimmy Butler


Updated on June 19, 2017 at 11:32 AM Posted on June 19, 2017 at 11:30 AM



Chicago Bulls' Jimmy Butler, left, drives to the basket against Boston Celtics' Al Horford during the first half in Game 6 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Friday, April. 28, 2017, in Chicago.
Chicago Bulls' Jimmy Butler, left, drives to the basket against Boston Celtics' Al Horford during the first half in Game 6 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Friday, April. 28, 2017, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)



By Jay King



After the Boston Celtics agreed this weekend to trade the No. 1 pick, there has been a lot of speculation about what Danny Ainge might do next.

Ainge could just like the value he received in the deal. He could feel totally comfortable keeping the No. 3 pick and using it on somebody like Lonzo Ball, Jayson Tatum or Josh Jackson. Or Ainge could have something else in the works, another trade that helps explain why he was willing to surrender the chance to select stud prospect Markelle Fultz.

The Celtics have enough assets and flexibility that most things are possible. But given the strength of their situation, plus the greatness of the elite NBA powers, they should be patient in striking for a star. If the right offer comes along, sure, take it. But the team will also be wary of using assets on the wrong player or doing something that could hinder their long-term future. The worst thing the Celtics could do is pull the trigger on a huge trade that depletes their draft equity, shoots their payroll to the moon, and still leaves them short of true contention, while limiting their future opportunities. It's totally crazy to wonder if they'll ever be able to pry away Anthony Davis or Russell Westbrook, but the Celtics need to be mindful of every situation that could potentially result in a superstar hitting the trade market one day.


While keeping all of that in mind, the Celtics could have options to upgrade the roster in a big way this summer. Paul George wants out of Indiana, Blake Griffin and Gordon Hayward could consider Boston as a free-agency destination, and the Celtics have considered Jimmy Butler as a potential trade target before.

For what it's worth, Stephen A. Smith believes the Celtics are angling to make another run at Butler this summer. On his ESPN show, First Take, Smith reported the Chicago Bulls told the Philadelphia 76ers they "wanted the No. 3 overall pick and they were willing to unload Jimmy Butler" for it. But the trade wasn't right for the 76ers, who aren't ready to compete right away, and would rather continue their current youthful timeline.

"So then they got on the phone with Boston," Smith said. "Boston and Philadelphia obviously were willing to swap picks, and as a result the Boston Celtics are planning on acquiring Jimmy Butler. They don't know if they'll be able to, but their hope is that they'll be able to use the No. 3 pick, get themselves Jimmy Butler, go into free agency, get Gordon Hayward, and then combine Butler with Hayward, keeping Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley and those boys in tow, and making a legitimate run at the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Eastern Conference crown knowing that they then get to come back the following year and likely get another first-round pick on top of the one that they will have, etc., etc. So that's their belief right now. For the Boston Celtics, the No. 3 pick, worst-case scenario is that they find themselves in a position to draft somebody like a Josh Jackson out of Kansas. But the hope is that they'll be able to use the No. 3 pick to get Jimmy Butler."


bob


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