No. 3 — Jayson Tatum
Boston chose to draft Duke’s Jayson Tatum with the No. 3 overall pick and couldn’t be happier to have done so. Many analysts thought that the Celtics should have selected Kanas’ Josh Jackson with the pick, but Ainge and the Celtics’ front office were high on Tatum from the beginning.
Tatum is a lethal scorer with endless potential to work his way into. He averaged 16.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game last season for the Blue Devils, while shooting 45.2 percent from the field overall and 34.2 percent from the three-point line. Throughout the draft process, some even compared him to former Celtics’ star Paul Pierce.
Standing in at 6’8″ and 205 pounds, Tatum has an NBA-ready body and will be ready to compete for playing time immediately. He will make an excellent tandem for the future with Boston’s first-round pick last season, Jaylen Brown.
Tatum has a lot of pressure on his shoulders to perform at a high level with the Celtics taking him ahead of Jackson. While the pressure is there, Tatum has a great work ethic and has the potential to become a major star in Boston.
Grade: A