Jayson Tatum is another prospect likely on Boston's short list

With rumors swirling that the Boston Celtics might be thinking about shocking people and not selecting Markelle Fultz, it appears the team might be thinking about drafting Jayson Tatum, too.


This information is not tied to any rogue General Manager who thinks he knows the mind of Danny Ainge, nor based on sometimes-ineffective metrics or where top prospects are taking workouts. It comes straight from the organization itself, based on the team's official releases on YouTube of its Draft Prospect Videos, which we reported on the premier edition of earlier this week, featuring Lauri Markkanen. To date, there are seven videos in total, featuring prospects like De'Aaron Fox, Josh Jackson, Zach Collins, and Lonzo Ball.


Conspicuously absent from the series is Fultz, but given the order they have been being released in, I can say a few things; these are without a doubt players who interest the Celtics in terms of options to select with the top pick. There may not be a specific value built into the order of their release, but the absence of Fultz coupled with Ball being the most recent may suggest a preferred order - or it may reflect a rough approximation of popular perspectives on draft value. All of these players are good enough at what they do that their selection first overall would likely not be the worst first pick in history, or even this decade. And all of them would probably be a good if not great fit with the Celts.


I still firmly believe Fultz is the target and the goal of this organization. I will caution readers to consider the goals, authorship, source(s) and claims of rumors suggesting otherwise very carefully in the coming week. Danny, opposing GMs, agents, and hungry-but-not-scrupulous media all have agenda, meaning very little of what we read this week will be purely objective reporting. I'll admit even I am using the FOMF (fear of missing Fultz) to drive eyes to a counter-narrative calling for level-headed skepticism. Whatever works, so long as we're being as honest as we can be. And while we're being honest, Tatum is definitely a prospect Ainge should have his eyeballs on.


Skilled and fast enough to score on smaller defenders and strong and agile enough to leave big men on their heels, able to return the favor on defense, Tatum's potential as a versatile wing scorer would mesh well with the team's youth movement and current starters alike. While he's got some warts - he may not be able to play up to power forwards with the same success he's had in the NCAAs, for example, and his passing and ballhandling also need work - he's got a fairly low floor with a promising ceiling. Take a look in the video to see for yourself why he (along with at least seven other top prospects) is an option being considered by the Celtics.



For more stories about the offseason on CelticsLife, click here. For more by Justin, click here.



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