Two strong indicators that Jayson Tatum is truly special

Former-superstar Julius Erving gave the Celtics' Jayson Tatum high praise when he stated that this special youngster was a player that could "raise the level of his game at playoff time". And that is exactly what Tatum did this season, averaging 25.7 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.0 SPG and 1.2 BPG in the 2020-21 post-season. Those are impressive numbers. How impressive? Jaylen's third-year playoff stats compare nicely to Kevin Durant's third-year, post-season numbers.

KD's 2009-10 playoff averages show: 25.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.3 APG, 0.5 SPG, 1.3 BPG. There are a few exceptions (Kawhi Leonard comes to mind), but most NBA superstars show future stardom in their debut season. Jayson did that in his rookie campaign.

I am not making a direct Tatum/Durant comparison here. But I have yet to hear a credible Tatum detractor belittle Tatum's talent, skills and potential. And we have not yet seen Jayson at is best.

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Sign the Petition! Let's honor Tommy Heinsohn

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