June 29, 2018

Jayson Tatum
SF - 6’8, 205lbs - 20 years old - 1 year of experience

Starting from day one, Tatum was good from the off. Indeed, for a rookie he was amazingly efficient from the start, particularly from three-point range, which is supposed to be something one must adjust to early on. And then after a brief mid-season slump, Tatum picked it up again towards the end, becoming more of a go-to offensive player and showing a little bit of everything in his arsenal of skills.

Come playoff time, Tatum was a go-to player. The opportunity scorer of the start of the year was now having his number called from the sideline, and also calling his own. It suited him. This is a role he has been in in every step of the journey thus far, and it is one he will remain in going forward.

In addition to the 43.4% shooting stroke, Tatum also dropped in a near-identical percentage of mid-range shots (of which he took a good number, under control and with permission), and shot 63% at the rim. To nitpick would be to say that he needs to work on his strength, security of handle and finishing through contact. But then those are true of basically every non-Yabusele rookie around. The main takeaway should be that offensively, Tatum already has moves at this young age that most don’t ever have at any age, and defensively, he is long, intelligent, versatile and committed.

Stardom awaits - and apparently it will be with us quite quickly, too.

Player Plan: Three years of rookie scale salary remaining and a clear-cut building block.

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