The emergence of Jayson Tatum has looked very similar to that of Paul George

Jayson Tatum is already an NBA star for the Boston Celtics. In fact, his game looks extremely similar to that of a young Paul George.

Jayson Tatum has been one of the best players in the entire NBA this season. In fact, on an extremely talented Boston Celtics team, he has perhaps been the best player on the entire roster. Tatum has done this in just his third NBA season, playing the majority of the 2019-20 season as a 21-year-old.

The third pick in the 2017 NBA Draft’s exceptional play has not gone unnoticed, as he made his first NBA All-Star Game this season, playing alongside the NBA’s premier talent.

In 59 games this season, he has scored in double figured in all but one game. Tatum has also scored 20+ points in 38 games and 30+ points in 14 games this season. At his best, he has produced 41 points twice (career-high), both recently in the year 2020. Just last month, one of Tatum’s 41-point performances came against the Western Conference’s best team, the Los Angeles Lakers. He went head-to-head with LeBron James, looking nearly impossible to defend.

Tatum has been a lethal scorer throughout games and has also been trusted to take the final shot in games, showing that he is already playing at a superstar level. Against the New York Knicks earlier in the season, he hit the game-winning bucket with just seconds remaining to give Boston a much-needed victory at home.

While watching Tatum shine on the largest stage, it’s hard not to see the comparison between his game and Paul George’s. Both are former lottery picks, standing at 6’8″ and roughly the same weight. What is less obvious is how close their production has been when comparing George’s fourth NBA season to Tatum’s third season. Although their ages were different at the time, nearly everything else is comparable. This just goes to show just how high Tatum’s ceiling could be in the NBA – MVP level. Their similar stats are displayed in the table below.

Starting in every game each of them played, their shot attempts per game (as well as the distribution of those shots) are very close. They both attempted roughly 37 percent of their shots from beyond the arc, and at a similar rate. From the free throw line, they both convert at a similar rate as well. This is further rectified as both George and Tatum’s true shooting percentages are nearly identical. Although Tatum averages almost two points per contest this season than George did in the 2013-14 season, it is because Tatum shoots almost two more shots per game. Overall, their offensive ratings reflect this correlation.

Even outside of their shot distribution and shooting percentages, their rebounding and assist numbers are roughly the same as well. Overall, when comparing these two seasons between Tatum and George, their usage percentages and player efficiency ratings are also on right on par.

While it is unclear just how much better Tatum might get, it certainly appears that he is on a similar trajectory as Paul George in his early seasons with the Indiana Pacers. If Tatum is able to perform in the playoffs like George was able to against teams like the Miami Heat during his early days, these similarities will only become more apparent.

For Boston Celtics fans, the future looks bright. Now, just 22 years old, Jayson Tatum looks to be the face of the franchise this season and for many years to come.