YouTube Gold: Jayson Tatum Explodes For 40

The former Duke star is killing it - again - in the NBA

When he came out of Duke, there were questions about Jayson Tatum’s athleticism. Would he be able to cut it in the NBA?

Apparently the Celtics had no such questions: Boston GM at the time Danny Ainge had the #1 pick but traded down, confident he’d still get Tatum because the teams with the #2 and #3 pick, L.A. and Philly, both needed point guards. Philly pulled the trigger and the deal was made (The 76ers took Markell Fulz, who ended up being a dud in Philly. This one year after they took Ben Simmons at #1 who also washed out with the 76ers).

Tatum, on the other hand, has done just fine with Boston.

He and Jaylen Brown are arguably the best pair of forwards in the league and helped lead Boston to its 18th NBA championship last year.

On Saturday, Tatum helped lead Boston to a 131-104 win over New York. Tatum scored 40 as you’ll see here.

At this point of course, no one really has any questions about his ability. He’s long since established himself as an elite NBA player. Now his goal is something higher: he wants to establish himself as an elite Celtic. That’s tougher, but in his case, doable.