Boston Celtics: Top 10 moments from 2017-18 NBA season

1. Jayson Tatum knights King James

Jayson Tatum is only 20 years of age, and yet, his rookie season suggested otherwise.

He averaged 13.9 points per game on 47.4 percent shooting after being given more opportunities once Hayward went down.

In the playoffs, his scoring increased to 18.5 points per game while his efficiency dipped only slightly to 47.1 percent, finishing second on the team in scoring during the postseason while falling a single point shy of Lew Alcindor’s all-time rookie playoff scoring total.

Tatum isn’t even legally allowed to enter a bar, but that didn’t stop him from getting buckets on anyone who guarded him, and that includes LeBron James.

Having recently snatched Terry Rozier’s soul from his chest via an insane tomahawk jam-saving dunk, LeBron was feeling himself on the defensive end. So when Tatum charged at him with a head full of steam, the three-time champion was sure he’d put the young rookie in his place.

Having gone through every challenger up to that point, Tatum wasn’t about to bow down, especially with a chance at a game-swinging highlight.

https://twitter.com/_BucketBros/status/1000931357495906305

Everything about this dunk is amazing. The stakes, the score, the participants, all highlighted by Tatum’s reaction after his eye-opening slam, bumping LeBron James to show that he had zero fear in challenging The King for his throne.

It may not be wise to piss off James under such dire circumstances, but it shows that Tatum has an insane level of confidence, one that some players struggle their entire careers to muster up.

Next: The 50 greatest NBA players of all time (updated, 2016-17)

It didn’t translate into a trip to the NBA Finals, but that poster dunk by Tatum was one of the nastiest dunks in recent memory and is one of the few blunders of LeBron’s historic career.