Boston Celtics: A look back at the Markelle Fultz-Jayson Tatum trade
Its been nearly six months since the trade that sent the Boston Celtics’ No. 1 overall pick to the Philadelphia 76ers. Here is a look at the effects of the trade so far.
June 19, 2017… the day that will be remembered as the day the Boston Celtics sent away their No. 1 pick for the Philadelphia 76ers’ third pick in the NBA Draft. Too go along with that, Philly also sent out a first round pick that will be determined by the record of Los Angeles Lakers.
For now, let’s look at just the swap of the first and third pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Philadelphia was in need of a guard, hence why they moved up to get Markelle Fultz out of Washington. Another reason for moving up was because Philly had too many big men.
Of course, at the time, Boston still had Isaiah Thomas, so there was no need to snag a point guard. Eventually, they would trade Thomas for Kyrie Irving in late August. With either IT or Kyrie, the door was still wide open for Jayson Tatum.
To this point, it’s not even up for debate that the Celtics have won this trade, almost by default since Fultz has only appeared in four games this season. Like most Sixers top picks, an injury occurred. First it was top pick Joel Embiid, then Ben Simmons, and now it’s Fultz, who’s been sidelined since Oct. 25 with a shoulder injury. As for Tatum, he has started in all 26 games this season for the Celtics. Here is a comparison of their stats this season:
| Rk | Player | Season | G | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | eFG% | FT | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Markelle Fultz | 2017-18 | 4 | 19.0 | 2.3 | 6.8 | .333 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .333 | 1.5 | 3.0 | .500 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 6.0 | |
| 2 | Jayson Tatum | 2017-18 | 26 | 30.5 | 4.7 | 9.2 | .508 | 1.6 | 3.0 | .519 | .595 | 3.2 | 3.8 | .828 | 5.5 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 14.0 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/8/2017.
There is not one category in which Fultz leads Tatum, except for assists – but it’s not by much. Fultz is a point guard/shooting guard who should naturally lead in assists over a player who is a forward. Generally that is the case, and that’s what we see here between the two players. However, Fultz’s assist count is low, sitting at 1.8 per game, whereas Tatum is averaging just 0.4 less than him with 1.4 a game.
There was a lot of talk about Fultz and his jump shot, particularly about the reason for his poor shooting and awkward form being due to his shoulder injury. Here is an example that perfectly shows how awkward it was.
Markelle Fultz's free throw shot is SHOOK. A full evaluation: https://t.co/WbErH3Xc9j pic.twitter.com/s5ktqNvSoD
— Adam Smith (@SmittyBarstool) October 10, 2017
By any means, he hasn’t been able to show that he should have been the No. 1 pick. Until we see more, it will be impossible to decide whether it was a smart decision by the Sixers. As of now, it has not worked out as planned. Once he returns and plays more than four games, the picture will start to clear up.
A completely different story has been made in Boston with Tatum. If it wasn’t for an injury-plagued first season for Ben Simmons, then Tatum could possibly be the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year. Furthermore, Tatum has been great so far this season.
He averages around 30 minutes a game, and in that time he has been very productive. He leads the league in 3-point percentage (51.9 percent), and he’s only 19 years old. It’s incredibly impressive, even though he is not taking the same amount of attempts (3.0 per game) as say, James Harden (11.0) or Stephen Curry (9.5).
New: Jayson Tatum is now the NBA's leading 3-point shooter at 49.3 percent and is on pace to become the first rookie ever to average 13 points, 5 rebs and shoot better than 42 pct from 3: https://t.co/TM113nqC5G
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) December 4, 2017
Tatum has been able to score the ball from anywhere on the floor, averaging 14.0 points per game. According to NBA.com, that is good for sixth-most among rookies. As you can see, here are a few good examples of how he has scored in barrage of ways.
More fluid 3-ball, quicker decisions, less ISO ball, increased defensive intensity -- breaking down how Jayson Tatum has slightly altered his game to fit the Celtics and modern basketball https://t.co/mXeHEnkseY pic.twitter.com/jXYQEpzcX9
— Mike Schmitz (@Mike_Schmitz) November 30, 2017
Not only has he shown us how good he has been offensively, but he has been excellent on defense. He is first among all qualified rookies in defensive rating at an impressive 98.9. The only person ahead of Tatum is Los Angeles Clippers rookie, Milos Teodosic, but he doesn’t count because he’s only played in two games.
Tatum has shown us reasons why the Celtics moved down to get the forward out of Duke University. But not only has he showed us that he is good both offensively and defensively, but he is smart too.
How many 19-year-old rookies are this smart and call off his teammates? Tatum understands how to play the game, and that is why he is in the running for Rookie of the Year. Not only that, but he has shown us why he will be dominant for years to come, and possibly the best player to come out of this draft class.
Next: 2017-18 Week 8 NBA Power Rankings
Between Fultz and Tatum, it’s hard to tell so far as to whether it was a good move for the Sixers. But we certainly we know the Celtics are happy with their decision, and it’s safe to say they made the smart move. Only time will tell if Philly winds up feeling the same way, and if Fultz can improve and stay healthy, then perhaps both sides can come out winning the trade. As of right now though, the Celtics looked like the early winners.