There were about 19,000 people at Jayson Tatum’s 24th birthday party Thursday night. Instead of 24 candles, Tatum lit up the Memphis Grizzlies for 21 fourth-quarter points to send a message to the crowd, and the NBA, that his Boston Celtics were for real.
“We tried to make his shots as tough as possible, but with a special talent like that, guys find a way,” Memphis superstar Ja Morant said after the game. “He got going, got to his spots where he's comfortable out on the floor and he made some big-time shots for his team to keep the lead and come out with the win.”
But Tatum’s spots are different now, which makes some sense because Tatum himself is different as a player. As noted by Sports Illustrated’s Michael Pina, Tatum has cut 10% of the mid-range shots out of his game since November. Back then, Tatm was shooting 60% in the restricted area. Since January 1, he’s up to 71.3%
Maybe it’s taken Tatum a while to get used to the fact that he’s now a muscular, 6’10” forward with guard skills who can get where he wants on the floor most nights. Maybe, now that he’s 24, he just “gets it” a little bit more. Maybe, like his beard that didn’t quite grow how he wanted it to, things are starting to just connect.
“I remember those times praying it would grow overnight. But some things take time,” Tatum said. “I'm always trying to outdo myself. Whether I score 50 or 60 the next game, I don't carry that over. It's kind of like whatever happened is in the past and it's all about what you gon' do now, what you gon' do next and that's just kinda the mindset that I carry and hopefully, 15 years from now when I hang them up, I can have a lot of special things to reflect on. But in the meantime, just focus on what's next.”
Literally, what’s next is the Brooklyn Nets, who will have Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving back. That will make the game a little bit tougher than the past couple of Nets games. But what’s next in the bigger picture is Tatum stepping into a true superstar role, leading his team to greater heights -- championship heights.
It’s a process pushed by Ime Udoka, who took this job, partly, because it included Tatum and Jaylen Brown. But the old Tatum wasn’t going to cut it for Udoka and the Celtics. He had to be pushed to grow his game.
“We came into the season with a relationship and knowing each other from USA basketball,” Tatum said. “But it's just spending every day with somebody and learning each other. Just getting to know each other in this environment. Obviously, I have a lot of respect for him and how he approaches things and his basketball mind. I definitely acknowledge and know that since day one, he's pushing me to be the best that I can be and I appreciate that.”
It’s manifesting itself on the court in some of the best all-around performances of Tatum’s career. He put up 37 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists against Memphis. It was 33/8/7 against Atlanta. Against Detroit, he put up 21/11/6.
“I think it’s all about watching film, learning from what you didn’t do so well in previous games and years,” Tatum said. “Just seeing it more frequently, and learning and growing from it. Honestly that’s how it should be - you should be better at the end of the year as opposed to the beginning, in your fifth year than you were in your fourth year. Just always trying to get better in all areas of the game.”
His teammates are noticing it, too. Tatum has generally been a more “lead by example” kind of guy, but that has given way to a more forward leader, who is more willing to speak up.
“He was more of a quiet guy before but now he's a little more vocal, speaks up a little bit more,” Grant Williams said. “But (he) also listens to what you have to say. So it's great to be able to know like, we get into sometimes, yell, and everything like that, but we know we're coming from the right place. We all just want to win and that's something that this team has really grown and embraced and really has helped us move forward throughout the year.”
Tatum’s progression as a more emotional and vocal leader isn’t just something some of the younger guys see. Designated Team Dad Al Horford feels it too.
“He's letting us know what he's thinking, how he's feeling. For me, it gives me a lot of confidence,” Horford said. “It's encouraging to know that he has my back. He's obviously really trying to win, he's trying to do things the right way. … Seeing him that excited, that engaged, it's a good sign for our group."
If anyone gets the challenges of being someone who lives on the quiet side, it’s Horford. Maybe it’s good for Tatum to see Horford speaking up himself, and that it’s okay to be a person who voices an opinion when you’re seen as the group’s go-to guy.
“I understood the impact that some things that I would say,” Horford said “ think Jayson sees that. He understands that when he speaks, when he says something, it goes a long way. No. 1 because obviously we depend a lot on him. But also he is trying to, we can see he's trying to win, he’s trying to play the right way. He's playing good basketball. Anytime he says something, we're all listening, we're all paying attention. I feel like he feels more comfortable in those positions. He doesn't have to do it all the time, but when he does it, we all listen and we pay attention."
We pay attention too, especially when he’s got it going as he did in the fourth quarter against Memphis. That's Jayson Tatum at his absolute best, which is a different best than it has been in the past.
His best basketball now involves willingly pulling defenders away from his teammates so they can make plays. It involves setting picks and cutting to the rim to catch passes and get easy buckets. It’s more than just scoring a lot of points. Tatum is playing great basketball. His best basketball.
He’s the most complete player he’s ever been. If the Tatum that walked off this parquet had to face any other Tatum from any other time, this one would win going away. That it’s happening on his 24th birthday might be the scariest part of this all.
Because he’s only going to get better.