Jayson Tatum is making the Celtics look like winners in Fultz deal with Sixers already

How soon is too soon to declare the Celtics the winner over the Sixers in the Jayson Tatum/Markelle Fultz blockbuster draft deal?

Prevailing wisdom would say making a final call on that front would be a bit premature after four regular-season games, but Tatum is making a pretty strong case for the masses to overlook that limited sample size.

The 6-foot-8 forward put on an absolute show in the final three quarters of the Celtics’ 110-89 win over the Knicks, scoring 20 of his career-high 22 points in that span on 8-of-12 shooting. Tatum’s poise and potential have been on display throughout the first three games of the season but Tuesday night we got a deeper glimpse into the offensive versatility the 19-year-old has.

He scored from inside and out over his 31 minutes, going 9-of-15 from the field and 4-of-6 from 3-point range while finishing off a collection of faceups and postups with strong finishes. We all knew Tatum had a strong midrange game coming into the NBA, but it was the adjustment to the deeper NBA 3-point line that left some cause for concern. Tatum was just 1-of-5 from downtown in his first three games and looked a little hesitant to pull the trigger during those contests. That tentativeness faded against the Knicks as he captained the second-unit offense in stretches and shot with confidence all over the floor. The coaching staff put on a full court press to push the No. 3 overall pick to be more aggressive in recent weeks and that paid off in the blowout win.

“He has to shoot the ball when he’s open,” Brad Stevens said following the win. “I think that the first couple of weeks he had his moments where he hesitated on the catch, and we need him to shoot. I talked about it the last couple days in the media scrums at practice – you know, the idea that when he’s open from three, he’s got great size, he’s a hard guy to challenge on his shot, and for whatever reason, there was hesitation early and he would fake when he didn’t need to, and drive it. We need him to be ready and willing to make shots for our team.”

It’s hard to fault Stevens for that attitude when you take a closer glimpse at Tatum’s numbers to date. He’s third on the team in points per game (14.8), third among rotation players in FG percentage (47.6%) and is now shooting 45.5 percent from 3-point range on the year after his big night.

It’s not just the offense that is causing the Duke product to stand out though. He’s been the third-best rebounder on the team (7.8 per game) and filled up the box score in other defensive categories against New York with four steals and two blocks. Tatum’s defensive presence alongside second-year guard Jaylen Brown (game-high 23 points) has caught the eye of the team’s veterans as Boston has been surprisingly gritty on that end of the floor.

“They’re here and they’re making their mark right now,” Al Horford said after the win. “I was very proud of them. A lot of people look at the offensive stuff, but defensively their activity — being in the right positions every time, scrambling on defense — Tatum did that time and time again and so did Jaylen, so it was nice to see them have success on offense but defensively, that’s where I’m focused with them and they’ve been doing a really good job.”

“They’re taking big strides,” Kyrie Irving added. “Every single day in practice, a lot of preparation, and they’re transferring into games. It’s still early but you gotta give them credit, they’re coming out ready to play. They demand a lot out of themselves, which I appreciate. Man, it makes my job easier to go out there and do what I do. At an individual level, I think that they’re ahead of the game, in terms of guys at their position, in terms of first-year, second-year players. Their opportunities are probably a little bit different, but they’re relishing in them and I’m really proud of them.”

Even with the return of Marcus Morris looming next week, it’s hard to envision Tatum taking a seat for the veteran forward right away if he maintains this level of production. More importantly, the Celtics know one week into the young season that they have a promising building block in place for their future (or a nice trade chip for a certain someone in New Orleans). That’s something for this front office to rightfully smile about after a brutal setback to start the season.