Forsberg: Will Jayson Tatum be Celtics' best player vs. Wizards? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Will Jayson Tatum be the best player on the court when the Boston Celtics open the play-in tournament by hosting the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night at TD Garden?
The old basketball theorem suggests that the team with the best player typically wins a series. The new single-game format of the play-in tournament doesn’t afford any time for a player to ease into the proceedings.
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So there is Tatum’s challenge. The Wizards have been one of the NBA’s hottest teams since early April and will have both triple-double record-breaker Russell Westbrook and scoring champ runner-up Bradley Beal looking to state their case for that “best player” title.
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Tatum must assert himself early. For all of his magical offensive performances this season, including tying Larry Bird’s single-game scoring record with 60 points, Tatum sometimes seems to ease into games. The Celtics too often follow his lead only to find themselves down double digits.
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Consider this: Tatum scored 3 points or less in the opening frame 26 times this season, including eight scoreless first quarters. Jaylen Brown excelled as a tone-setter and Tatum must do the same on the playoff stage. The Celtics rarely hit first this season and this team cannot wait for Westbrook or Beal to take the first swing on Tuesday night.
JAYSON TATUM BY QUARTER
| Quarter | PTS | FG% | 3PT% | OffRtg | NetRtg |
| 1st | 5.2 | 41.7 | 33.3 | 108.4 | -5.9 |
| 2nd | 6.8 | 46.4 | 37.9 | 114.7 | 3.9 |
| 3rd | 7.2 | 46.7 | 37.6 | 118 | 6.8 |
| 4th | 7.5 | 48.3 | 47.9 | 117.1 | 6.3 |
Even after a battle with COVID and the after-effects, Tatum averaged career bests at 26.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. He supercharged his assist rate and improved his rebounding.
Tatum isn’t a lock for another All-NBA honor, however, and it might cost him $32 million on the rookie extension that kicks in next season. Tatum had a rather brilliant April -- putting up 53 points against the Timberwolves as an appetizer before tying Bird’s record with 60 points during a 32-point comeback against the Spurs. He added 44 points against Golden State in a showdown with Steph Curry for good measure in the middle of the month.
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But the biggest test for his development comes now. Tatum is no stranger to the playoff stage and has saved some of his best basketball for the postseason. When the Celtics have been shorthanded by injuries, Tatum has upped his output. But this is the first time he hasn’t had Brown alongside. And there’s no safety net in veterans like Al Horford or Gordon Hayward.
Asked last week after his final appearances of the regular season if he’s considered the additional pressure he’ll shoulder without Brown this postseason, Tatum shrugged it off.
“Everybody’s gotta do more,” said Tatum. “We gotta step up and try to figure it out.”
These are the sort of moments that the Celtics need Tatum to own. As he blossoms into one of the NBA’s elite two-way forwards, he must play like there should be no other possible answer to who the best player on the floor is.
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The sight of his St. Louis buddy Beal should provide a bit of extra motivation. Tatum has joked how he only talks trash when Beal is on the other side of the floor. Westbrook is going to play like he’s angry about anyone else even being considered the best player on the floor.
Remember, too, for all the success that Tatum has enjoyed early in his career, he has only 45 playoff games under his belt. Westbrook has a whopping 106. Westbrook is going to play full tilt -- just like did in willing the Wizards all the way to the eighth seed with their late-season surge -- and Tatum needs to match that intensity.
The Wizards are seventh in the NBA in defensive rating since April 5 and can play a bit of defense when inspired. Tatum will draw much of that defensive attention and his ability to create not just for himself but others will dictate how Tuesday’s game unfolds.
Tatum became only the third player in Celtics history to average 26+ points, 7+ rebounds and 4+ assists, joining Larry Bird (three times) and John Havlicek (twice). He’s one of only five players to hit those marks this season. The others read like an MVP ballot in Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, and Kevin Durant.
Tatum still has strides to make to be talked about in that upper stratosphere of NBA talent. But in the play-in tournament, it shouldn’t even be a discussion. And Tatum needs to show it on Tuesday night.
