Kobe Bryant Shows How Jayson Tatum Can Take His Game to Another Level
By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
Jayson Tatum is already one of the most impressive young stars in the NBA. He’s been so eye-opening in his first playoff run that plenty of other NBA greats are taking notice of the Rookie of the Year finalist. The Paul Pierce comparisons are well-documented.
That list also includes five-time champion Kobe Bryant.
Say what you want about Kobe – he was an egomaniac who likely did some objectionable things off the court – but as a basketball player, he was a genius. And he had Michael Jordan-sized cajones. So he is worth listening to when it comes to pure basketball analysis, and his take on Tatum is something you’ll want to hear if you’re a Celtics fan.
Bryant has started a new series on ESPN called “Detail”, where he takes a closer look at certain players and teams with his own brand of analyzing the game. As far as Tatum, Bryant already recognizes what everyone else does – the rookie has been sensational when posting up or “creating opportunities” for himself or his teammates – but Kobe found an area where Tatum still has plenty of room to improve. And if he can add that to his game, Bryant admits that “the sky’s the limit” for the young forward.
May 13, 2018, Boston, MA, USA: Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum runs up the court during the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game one of the Eastern conference finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Photo Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Watch above to see what Bryant’s talking about. He looks at a play from Game 2 of Celtics-Cavs where Larry Nance Jr. defended against Tatum. He sees a hole on the floor where Tatum could’ve easily slid into that “pocket” for a catch-and-shoot off the screen. Bryant suggests that Tatum should look at how Richard “Rip” Hamilton played to figure out how to add more catch-and-shoot opportunities to his arsenal.
“If I could figure out how to do that with my game, it’ll take my game to another level, it’ll make us a better team, and the sky’s the limit,” Bryant concluded, speaking as Tatum.
The star-struck rookie took notice of Bryant’s high praise on Twitter. So maybe hell listen and you’ll see more catch-and-shoots in Game 3 on Saturday.
WOW 🙏🏽🙌🏽 https://t.co/fIbdQqUw3x
— Jayson Tatum (@jaytatum0) May 17, 2018
Needless to say, the kid’s got a little it of time to improve. He turned 20 years old on March 3. This is just another illustration of the impression Tatum has made on NBA observers in such a short amount of time.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.
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