Boston Celtics: 3 takeaways from 2017-18 season opener

3. Young forward duo impressive in opener

The season opener for the Boston Celtics also represented the career opener for Jayson Tatum. The third overall pick in this last draft, Tatum was impressive in both NBA Summer League and preseason play. However, nothing is certain about a young prospect until he sees his first real NBA action. While one game is too small of a sample size to draw firm conclusions, Tatum opened the season on a high note.

After cracking the starting lineup, Tatum struggled to start the game, scoring just two points in the first half. However, Tatum (much like the rest of the team’s offense) exploded in the second half. The rookie put up 10 points in the third quarter in spite of his poor first half, finishing with a 14-point, 10-rebounds double-double.

However, Tatum was not the most impressive of Boston’s young wings taken with the third overall pick. That title belonged to Jaylen Brown, who led the team in scoring with a career-high 25 points. Brown played a sizable role last year as a rookie and appeared to build on that performance in the season opener. He was aggressive right out of the gates:

Brown’s defensive presence will probably be where he contributes most of his value this season. However, his offensive explosion in the season opener is certainly a positive sign.