NBA Andrew McDougall gives his opinion
On Friday night Jayson Tatum became the youngest Boston Celtics player to score more than fifty points in a single game.
The 23-year-old wing put up 53 points, 10 rebounds and four assists as the Celtics ousted the Minnesota Timberwolves 145-136 in overtime.
As well as being the youngest to score that many points, only two players in franchise history have scored more in a regular season game, the last being Larry Bird, who dropped 60 on March 12, 1985.
It is an incredible achievement for the fourth-year forward, but the truth is that Tatum needs to step up and take responsibility for this team more often.
Boston have disappointed this season, flirting with dropping under .500 at times, despite having a talented core of players and three All-Stars on their roster.
Tatum, averaging 25.7 points per game, is the team’s go-to scorer and has been earmarked as a potential superstar since coming into the league, but he has been criticised recently for not stepping up when his team needs him most.
Leadership doesn’t have to come from a team’s star player, but aside from All-Defensive guard Marcus Smart, leadership is the something the Celtics have been lacking of late.
A lot of expectation lies on the young shoulders of Jayson Tatum and his partner in crime, Jaylen Brown, who is averaging 24.3 points per game and recorded his own career-high of 42 points earlier this season, but if Boston are to fulfil their potential then they need to grow into these roles.
For all their attacking threat and playing alongside four-time All-Star Kemba Walker (17.8 points per game), the Celtics haven’t had a reliable crunch-time scorer since Isaiah Thomas was traded away.
Friday night was an indication that that may be starting to change, however, with Boston coach Brad Stevens comparing Tatum to the current Pelicans point guard, who was no stranger to a high-scoring night in a Celtics jersey, with a playoff high of 53 points.
The determination, aggression and dogged desire to win that Thomas became known for is what Tatum needs to continue to show on a more consistent basis for Boston.
If there is no doubt that Smart is the team’s defensive leader, then perhaps Tatum needs to step forward as the offensive leader.
Having multiple options is a blessing, and having Brown and Walker as alternates will prevent teams focussing on Tatum the way they once did with Thomas, but sometimes there’s something to be said for knowing you’ve got that one guy who can dig you out of a hole; someone with that intangible factor, that desire and ability to put the team on their back.
If Tatum can become that guy, someone to rely on when it really counts, the sky is the limit for him and perhaps the Boston Celtics as well.
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![the draw of Friday, April 9, 2021 [EN LIGNE]](https://i0.wp.com/img-4.linternaute.com/2BfYm_-yVZB8MfqCYfNHduz2v-Q=/540x/smart/fd90d545cf4b45d1a60806f83714c444/ccmcms-linternaute/23818060.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 "the draw of Friday, April 9, 2021 [EN LIGNE]")