Jayson Tatum has emerged as one of the most important elements in the Boston Celtics roster. With the way, the All-Star is playing and the Greens as well, it would seem that an NBA title is within reach again, which is a scenario that Scottie Pippen said is highly likely.
Pippen said the Celtics are a force to reckon with on the east side of the NBA competition, and largely that's because of Tatum. According to the Chicago Bulls legend, the 22-year-old forward has become the best player in Boston.
Appearing on ESPN, Pippen made the bold prediction that the Celtics can now go on a title run and chiefly on the account of Tatum's excellent play in the season. He was impressive before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the NBA games to a pause, and Tatum is only expected to pick up where he left when the Orlando games start.
"I think if this team were to make a run, they'd have to rely on Tatum's ability to carry them offensively," Fadeaway World reported Pippen as saying.
It was clear that prior to the season suspension, Tatum's performance was rising on a superstar level, and the former Bulls star noted that the player's scoring was on the peak trajectory. There is no reason to believe that Tatum will struggle to the same when the Celtics head to Orlando later this week, Pippen added.
Sure enough, Tatum's statistics are nothing short of impressive. His shooting is at 44.8%, and the per-game score registered at 23.6 points with more than seven rebounds. So it's unsurprising that Boston is the No. 3 team in the east, boasting of 43 wins in the 64 games played before the games were halted.
The numbers are saying that Boston is a title contender with Tatum on the lead, but the big question is if the Celtics have the heart to win.
Returning to play while the coronavirus pandemic is raging, indeed bothers, and that much Tatum can admit. The Boston star said he was reluctant to go and leave his family behind, but with the restart nearing, the anxiety has been overwhelmed by excitement.
Heading into Disney World, the forward said teams will play in practically even footing, and that means he and the rest of the Celtics will take on the game with one clear goal - having a shot at the NBA title.
"If we're going to go down there, we might as well try to win a championship ... That's our goal and our focus. Obviously, everybody is in the same boat," NBC Sports reported Tatum as saying.
It's easy to see that Tatum is confident of what he's doing, and he is gunning for the big prize, but hitting the mark will greatly depend on how the other Celtics will compete. Tatum is optimistic that his teammates are with him, which is like saying without the support of everyone there is no way Boston will win.
