Former Heat player asserts Jayson Tatum won’t surpass LeBron James’ scoring record despite his offensive dominance
Jayson Tatum got an early responsibility to carry the Boston Celtics’ offense. In his rookie season, when Kyrie Irving was sidelined in the postseason, Tatum became the first choice for Brand Stevens. The Celtics’ misfortune in 2018 gave Tatum a stage for early growth.
Former NBA player Michael Beasley gave Tatum the biggest compliment he could think of. In the latest episode of “The OG Show,” he said that Tatum will dominate the league for a long time. The former New York Knicks player lauded Tatum’s understanding of the game at such a young age and accepting leadership even before he turned 25.
“He is tall, he athletic and he understand early how to play on the floor,” Beasley said. “He understand footwork, he understand double pumps, he understands how wide his shoulders is.”
Beasley is convinced that Tatum will be able to dominate the league like LeBron James. However, he said that Tatum wouldn’t break James’ scoring record.
“Bro that athletic going to be playing for 20 (years), just as long as Bron,” Beasley said. “I ain’t sitting here saying he will be 40,000, but he going to be 30,000-plus. The boy, he just score too simple. I wish he would calm it down sometimes.”
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Beasley might not be far from a more realistic picture. Jayson Tatum has faced players like Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, LeBron James and Steph Curry in the postseason. He won a series against KD and Irving and took the great LeBron James to Game 7. Given how fast he is growing, it wouldn’t be too much to expect at least a decade of dominance from Jayson Tatum.
Entering Tuesday’s games, James, who is 39 years old, has 40,225 points. Tatum, who turned 26 a few weeks ago, has 11,692.
LeBron James heaps highest praise for Jayson Tatum
Jayson Tatum met LeBron James in the Eastern Conference finals in 2018 when Tatum was still a rookie. Of course, history witnessed that the King was too much for the young Celtics star. However, it was an early glimpse of a star rising in Boston.
After less than a decade, Tatum has gone on to become the offensive leader for the Celtics. He is in the MVP conversation, has been to the NBA Finals and made the conference finals a few times. At such a young age, Jayson Tatum has achieved feats that some veterans have not achieved in their careers.
In the first episode of the “Mind The Game” podcast, James spoke in detail about why Tatum is set for a bigger career.
“He’s 25 years old, and I believe he’s been to the conference finals four times, been to the NBA Finals once, he’s 25 years, I didn’t win my first one until I was 28,” James told JJ Redick.
“He continues to grow, and they are in a position to make another title run. And like you said, personnel helps. Add (Kristaps) Porzingis and getting Jrue (Holiday). … But when you go and you start scouting for Boston, (Tatum’s) the No. 1 guy, for sure.”
