With the first overall pick, give me Jayson Tatum

The NBA is entering a new generation. LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry have all been household names for over the last ten years, even for those who don’t follow the league. Despite still being considered some of the best players in the league, their careers seem to be winding down and the end almost in sight.

Guys like Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard, and James Harden, who have all been considered stars in this era, have started to move into lesser roles, too — still playing well, but not at the top-of-the-class levels we once knew them for. Celtics fans like myself are certainly dreading it, but Al Horford, currently the fourth oldest active player at 38 years old, might only have a couple more years in the tank himself.

The torch will be passed soon enough, and there’s no question about whose hands it will end up in. The new generation of NBA basketball will be defined by guys like Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards, Victor Wembanyama, and Boston’s very own, Jayson Tatum.

Each of them is dominant in their own right. Each of them is the guy on their respective team. Each of them has several elite skills that can lead a team to the promised land. If I had to pick one of these players to start a franchise with, the choice certainly wouldn’t be easy. For me, the decision would come down to picking the guy who is easiest to build around.

Right now, that guy is Jayson Tatum.

Don’t get me wrong. As much of a homer as I may be, I won’t even entertain suggestions that there is currently a better basketball player in the world than Nikola Jokic. In fact, I wouldn’t even say that Tatum is the second-best player in the world, with Giannis being ahead of him as well. Personally, I currently have JT as the third-best, and I don’t think it’s inconceivable to have Shai or Luka above him either.

The question isn’t about who is currently the best, though. This is about determining which player will give you the best chance to build a championship caliber team. Who makes it easier for you to assemble the rest of your roster to guarantee success? Who can keep that window open for the longest?

So far, only three of them have proven their ability to win their team a ring. Only one of them has led his team to multiple Finals appearances. That same player is also the only one to never have had a losing season, and the only one to never miss the playoffs in his career.

I’ll give you one wild guess who that player is.

Now, you may be questioning what my criteria is for determining who “the easiest to build around” is. To me, it’s pretty simple; it comes down to the player who is the most versatile. Can they score at an elite level? Can they defend at an elite level? Can they play one through five on both ends of the ball? Do they elevate and empower their teammates? Are they consistently available? Jayson Tatum may be the only player in the league who the answer is definitively and emphatically yes for each of these questions.

Enough talk from me. Let the numbers speak for themselves.

Since 1974, there are only two players who have ever led all players on both teams in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks in a single playoff series. LeBron did it in 2016 in the prime of his career at 31 years old. He and the Cleveland Cavaliers faced off against the 73-9 Golden State Warriors in the Finals, ultimately winning the championship. The second player is none other than JT, who did it just this past year at the age of 26. Tatum led the Celtics past the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, beating them in just five games.

That wasn’t the only legendary feat Jayson accomplished in last year’s playoffs, though. He also became just the sixth player to lead his team in points, rebounds, and assists across the entirety of a championship run. The only other players to do so are LeBron, Jokic, Tim Duncan, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Larry Bird, all Hall-of-Famers (or future HOF in Jokic’s case) all players who defined their generations, and all players who are considered to be some of the best the game of basketball has ever seen.

JT has already joined this elite company, and he hasn’t even entered the prime of his career yet. [Insert obligatory “He’s only 19!” joke.] What’s more is he’s showing off just how well-rounded and impactful his game is. Over the past few years, many people have been using the overall success and talent level of the Celtics as a way to discredit Jayson. It seems they’ve never stopped to think about how he’s the best player on the best team, and is still leading all of that talent in the major statistical categories. Sounds more like an accomplishment than an indictment.

Even this year, Big Deuce is leading the Celtics in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. Give credit where it’s due. However, he isn’t the only one stuffing the stat sheet. Jokic is doing the same for the Denver Nuggets, and prior to his departure from the Dallas Mavericks, Luka was as well, though not anymore now that he’s been traded to Los Angeles. That is the comprehensive list; no other players qualify.

We can take Tatum’s game level by level, too.

If you want scoring, he can give you that. He’s the only player in Boston Celtics history to have averaged 30+ points over the course of a season. He also holds the franchise record for most career playoff three-pointers made (3PM), and is second for total franchise 3PM, trailing only Paul Pierce. His scoring feats transcend the Celtics, too, with JT holding the record for most points in an All-Star Game, most points in a Game 7, the most playoff points scored before the age of 26, and being only the seventh player to reach 13,000 career points before turning 27 years old.

With the ability to put up points like that, you can bet that Tatum sees a lot of double teams. He’s taken that as a challenge, elevating his playmaking abilities and getting his teammates involved. My former colleague, Jack Simone at Hardwood Houdini, recently made a great video breakdown to highlight this.

JT has steadily been increasing his assist numbers, taking a step up every single year since coming into the league. In his rookie year, Jayson averaged 1.6 assists per game along (APG) with 1.4 turnovers per game (TOPG). This year, he’s averaging 5.6 APG with 2.8 TOPG, a 2:1 assist ratio compared to the almost 1:1 ratio from his rookie year.

While the average may not exactly be eye-popping, we can look at Jayson’s secondary assists (passes to the player who recorded the assist) and potential assists (passes to a player who missed the shot) for more context. Across the league, JT ranks 11th in secondary assists, averaging 1.1 per game, just 0.3 behind Devin Booker who leads the league. In terms of potential assists, he’s averaging 11.4 per game. Opposing teams want the ball out of Tatum’s hands as much as possible, but he’s focused on his playmaking to make them pay, elevating his teammates in the process.

JT can truly play any position on the court — driving and passing like a guard, scoring like a wing, rebounding and posting up like a big. What makes him so special, though, is that it applies to both ends of the floor. According to NBA tracking data, he spends 40.6% of his time matched up with forwards, 43.6% with guards, and 15.8% with centers. Here’s how his defensive stats hold up against the league averages by position:

One of the main reasons JT excels at playing against bigs is his ability to deter entry passes and shot attempts altogether, which doesn’t show up in the overall FG%. He mucks up pick-and-rolls, making teams think twice about throwing lobs while Tatum is defending the roller. In almost 115 minutes of matchup time, opposing centers have only attempted 64 shots on Jayson all season, good for just 83 points.

His size, strength, and athleticism make him an extremely versatile defender. More importantly, he consistently shows up on the defensive end, something that can’t be said for every super star.

In the end, stats never tell the whole story, and matters like this are ultimately subjective. The superstars of the league hold that title because of just how much they excel in certain areas of the game. JT may not be the first choice for each aspect, but he is right near the top in all of them, which is exactly why he’s been dubbed “The Anomaly.”

Beyond that, he carries himself with the utmost professionalism on and off the court, and has always adjusted his game for the betterment of his team. Qualities like that make him easy to build a championship roster around, evidenced by the fact that he now has his first ring under his belt to compliment his team’s extensive playoff success.