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Among those who have noticed Jayson Tatum‘s hot start to the season is Boston Celtics legend Kevin Garnett. Garnett made it clear how much he supports Tatum’s regular season campaign for the Most Valuable Player award.
“First off, Jayson Tatum for MVP. He’s playing unbelievable,” Garnett said. “We already knew that Jayson Tatum could score the ball with the best of them, right? But I see this year that he’s taken another step. I think in the last four or five games, I’ve seen his defensive efforts be a lot greater than what I’ve seen. He seems to be a lot more locked in on both ends, and he’s playing like a top-five player.”
Garnett then talked about how entertaining Tatum was compared to the other young starlets in the NBA, like Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies and Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks.
“He’s popcorn basketball, as I call it. You pay to go see Ja, Luka. JT is in that same category. He’s coming into his own, coming into his young stardom. I love everything about his play and everything he’s doing right now.”
Garnett added that Tatum’s growth as a player will factor into Boston’s growth as a team.
“His growth to me is how the Boston Celtics are going to go and grow. With his progression and how he plays, it’s going to be big in how the franchise follows suit.”
Garnett Wondered if Tatum Was Ready to Lead
After Celtics Head Coach Ime Udoka was suspended for the season, Garnett asked out loud if Tatum or Jaylen Brown was ready to lead the team in light of losing their coach on an episode of Certified Smoke on September 29.
“Who’s gonna lead them now? Is this the time with Tatum? Jaylen Brown?” Garnett asked. “Your general isn’t gonna be there for a whole year. Just think about all that promise, all that investment they took on getting to the finals, and what that year was like. It’s hard as shit to get to the finals!… This is when dark times show true self and personnel. This is where people step up. This is when you grow wings.”
13 games into the season, the Celtics have gone 10-3, which places them second in the Eastern Conference standings while leading the Atlantic Division.
Garnett Predicted Celtics Would Finish Outside Top-4
Before the season started, Garnett predicted that the Celtics would not be among the top four teams in the Eastern Conference. Garnett predicted that the top four teams would be the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Brooklyn Nets.
Afterward, Garnett took to Instagram to defend his predictions. He made it clear that he still has loyalty to the organization that he played for from 2007 to 2013 but believed their rim protection and lack of frontcourt depth without Robert Williams III would be an issue.
“(Please) don’t get it (f***ed) up. C’s for life! But who are the bigs (and) who’s protecting the basket?! That’s all I’m asking. That’s all, relax… I need that answered for real.”
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