2017 NBA Draft: Jayson Tatum Taken By Boston At #3

From St. Louis to the parquet floor. Quite a journey.

Jayson Tatum was Duke’s first player taken in the 2017 draft, going to Boston with the third pick of the first round.

Tatum brings perhaps the most polished offensive game of this year’s draft. His biggest rival in that might actually be teammate Luke Kennard (on ESPN tonight, he said that Kennard was a better shot but he was a better overall player).

But Tatum is bigger and in the NBA, bigger is usually better.

At Duke, he averaged 16.8 ppg and became a key offensive factor for the Blue Devils. Down the stretch, Duke turned to him as much as Kennard. Either guy was able to take over down the stretch.

Tatum’s offensive game is really pretty. He has great footwork. We saw him several times just lose people under the basket, which is kind of like sprinting in a circle.

He has a step-back shot which is reliable. His three point shooting wasn’t as good as people might expect, but his offensive game improved tremendously down the stretch.

If he has one thing to work on his mechanics it’s that instead of going straight up, he tends to lean back. But it works, so big deal.

He’s also gotten some criticism as a passer but that’s stupid. The guy can pass. He just wasn’t expected to as much at Duke since he became one of the key offensive players.

His defense got some criticism too, but the guy is willing to dig in and work. He dove on the floor a fair amount this past season. Defense can be learned if the student is willing and Tatum is very coachable.

For some reason people are listing him as a power forward. He might be someday, but right now, he’s 6-8 and about 205.

His intangibles are appealing too. Tatum is not going to cause anyone trouble. He’s a high character guy and he can contribute immediately

Good pickup for the Celtics.

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