Jayson Tatum

Tatum returns to the Celtics after his second consecutive All-Star season as well as a significant role on gold-winning Team USA at the Summer Olympics. Tatum and fellow All-Star Jaylen Brown are now the undisputed leaders of the team after the Celtics, in June, traded Kemba Walker to OKC (he was later bought out and signed with the Knicks). Last year, Walker attempted 15.7 shots per game. Expect some of those attempts to shift to Tatum, who led the team last year with 26.4 points and 20.6 shot attempts per game. Little is known about new Celtics' coach Ime Udoka as he begins his reign in Boston. He has mentioned that Boston most improve on last year's 27th rank in total assists. That implies that Tatum, who averaged a career-high 4.3 dimes per game last year, might be expected to distribute even more. Udoka has hinted at pushing both Tatum and Brown harder than prior coach Brad Stevens ever did. Despite four years of NBA experience, Tatum is still only 23 years old. There is still upside for him to improve on a 2020-21 season in which he ranked 10th in the NBA in points per game, 11th in total three-pointers and 13th in usage percentage. Keep in mind that Tatum has improved his points, rebounds and assists per game in each of his four years in the Association. And he's always a threat to earn two-plus combined steals and blocks per contest. Expect Tatum to contend for All-NBA status in 2021-22.

Tatum had a breakout 2019-20 campaign -- his third season in the league. He turned the corner in mid-January, and during his final 19 appearances before the season's hiatus, Tatum averaged 28.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.9 threes, 3.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks. During that stretch, he also shot 48.2 percent from the field, 46.5 percent from three and 75.8 percent from the free-throw line. His strong season resulted in his first All-Star appearance, and he was selected to the All-NBA Third Team. Tatum was no stranger to the big game, either, securing 10 double-doubles and two 40-point games, including a performance against the Pelicans that featured 41 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals in just 30 minutes. Heading into the 2020-21 season, Tatum figures to be the No. 1 option on the Celtics as he emerges into stardom, especially with the departure of Gordon Hayward to Charlotte. His stretch toward the end of the 2019-20 campaign shows his upside, and as a result, fantasy managers should consider selecting him toward the end of the first round of most drafts.

After a third-place finish for Rookie of the Year, much was expected of Tatum in his sophomore season. But the return of Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward seemed to dampen Tatum's development. In particular, Hayward and Tatum were an awkward fit together during the first half of the season, resulting in many ugly mid-range jumpers for both forwards. Eventually, Hayward was moved to the bench, freeing things up, somewhat, for Tatum. The Duke product ended the year with a slight uptick in points, rebounds and assists over his rookie season, but didn't earn the big leap forward many predicted. That could change in year three, now that the Celtic depth chart has thinned due to the departures of Irving, Al Horford, Marcus Morris, Terry Rozier and Aron Baynes. Despite the addition of Kemba Walker, some in Boston are referring to this season as "Plan J", with more of an emphasis on youngsters Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Early on, it will be interesting to see if Walker or Tatum are the first options on offense. The door is open for the 21-year-old Tatum to be a true leader in Boston, especially if he can resist those ugly mid-range jumpers.

Had it not been for historic debuts from Ben Simmons and Donovan Mitchell, Tatum would have been the Rookie of the Year frontrunner. The No. 3 overall pick got off to a red-hot start from beyond the arc and eventually settled into his role as one of the Celtics' premier scoring threats. Tatum was at his best in the postseason, averaging 18.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting better than 47 percent from the field during the Celtics' run to the Eastern Conference Finals. Of course, Tatum's breakout may not have been possible had it not been for Gordon Hayward's season-ending injury five minutes into opening night, and the biggest hurdle facing the 20-year-old may be how he'll fit into the offensive hierarchy with Hayward back in the mix. In a normal situation, Tatum would be on the short list of players poised to make the leap toward legitimate stardom, but on one of the deepest teams in recent memory, Tatum may be forced to settle for a secondary role for the time being, provided Hayward, Kyrie Irving, Al Horford and Jaylen Brown all stay relatively healthy. With that in mind, expectations should be tempered for Tatum, though he should again be a hyper-efficient scorer for his age, who carries significantly more value in dynasty/multi-season leagues.

The third overall pick in the draft had a very exciting Summer League before a foot issue forced an early exit. During six games at Utah and Las Vegas, Tatum averaged 18.2 points and 8.9 rebounds, demonstrating pro-level one-on-one offensive moves that included a deadly step-back jumper and quick drives to the bucket. Supported by 20-year-old Jaylen Brown who often played point guard, the 19-year-old Tatum showed flashes of greatness which underlined GM Danny Ainge’s assertion that had Boston stuck with the number one pick, they still would have drafted Tatum. With Summer League behind him, Tatum must face the bigger issue of where he’ll play knowing that Boston just added free agent star Gordon Hayward. Hayward, Tatum and Brown are all small forwards, so Coach Brad Stevens will need to get creative to make sure all three get valuable minutes. Expect Brown to see time at shooting guard while the 6’8” Tatum plays some undersized power forward. The Celtics lack an obvious power forward starter, so Tatum should expect some small-ball minutes at the four. Newly acquired Marcus Morris could also be an impediment to major minutes for Tatum. It will be interesting to see how Stevens balances the team’s Finals aspirations while attempting to develop his two young stars, Tatum and Brown. The Celtics have arguably the deepest roster in the Association, which will make it difficult for Tatum to see big time minutes during his rookie season.