Boston Celtics: Power ranking team’s top 5 players right now
2. Jayson Tatum, SF
At No. 2 we find Jayson Tatum, the future of this Celtics franchise. Right now, the rookie forward has plenty of momentum and the Boston fandom buzzing with anticipation.
Obviously he lands high on this list as a result of being the No. 3 overall pick this past June. On top of that, he’s coming off an outstanding Summer League showing that saw him shine in both Orlando and Salt Lake City. Although a minor knee injury limited him to only three appearances in Las Vegas, Tatum convinced the Celtics there’s plenty to look forward to.
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More than likely, though, Tatum will watch his momentum die by the time the regular season rolls around. It’s not going to be easy finding minutes with players such as Gordon Hayward, Jae Crowder and Brown also vying for minutes at forward.
That’ll change as the season goes on, but that’s not the point of this exercise. This is meant to rank Tatum based on his current standing, which has him sitting pretty at No. 2. He’s the shiny new rising star in Boston, and one who could fill the highlight reel as a rookie despite limited minutes.
More than likely, the Celtics will find a way to get Tatum on the floor. Whether it’s at the 3 or 4, they’ll give him an opportunity to unleash his knack for creating points on the rest of the NBA. There’s plenty of hype surrounding the Duke product right now — we’ll see if he can live up to it.