After being drafted in 2017 by Boston Celtics, Jayson Tatum took the NBA by surprise, being able to perform at high level despite his young age. After finally securing his first ring last season, Taco Jay began drawing comparisons to other legends like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry.
The comparison was made by basketball skills coach Drew Hanlen. In an interview with ESPN, he suggested that the 26-year-old’s NBA resume is comparable to that of legends like Jordan, LeBron, and Steph at the same age.
When asked about Tatum’s lack of minutes forTeam USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics, Hanlen said: “I think a lot of people are like, ‘Oh, he’s out for revenge.’ I don’t think Jayson looks at it like that. He’s like, ‘Compare my résumé at 27 to Michael Jordan, who never won one at 27. Compare it to LeBron, who had won one. Compare it to Steph, who had one.'”
Fans are likely to disagree with this comparison, even more after the fact that Jaylen Brown was the most impactful player for Celtics last season. His performances on the court let him achieve the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and NBA Finals MVP awards after all.
However, Hanlen is able to back his statement with stats Tatum had over the last years. With Celtics’ NBA title, Taco Jay turned into the 6th player since 1980 to win a title while leading their team in points, rebounds and assists in the Playoffs, milestone only players like Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, and Nikola Jokic could achieve.
Bird’s influence over Tatum
Despite yet not being able to place in the top three in the NBA’s MVP voting (finished 6th last season), Tatum already shares a milestone with one of the players he finds an inspiration such as Larry Bird.
“The thing that fuels me is like Larry Bird’s the best player ever to wear a Celtic uniform. And, you know, that’s the guy that… whether it’s averaging 30 that one season or scoring 60 points in a game—tying his record—just being in the same conversation with him in terms of records and achievements is what pushes me,” said Tatum in an interview with NBC Sports Boston.