“We talk about Jayson Tatum, how great is he, how good is he,” recently asked ESPN broadcaster and former NBAer Richard Jefferson rhetorically on a recent episode of “NBA Today,” that saw him compare Tatum’s play to Kevin Durant’s in their recent tilt that saw Tatum hang 54 points on Brooklyn, suggesting the St. Louis native has been holding his own against the very best players in the NBA in his recent stretch of elite play.
As for the Celtics as a whole? Per the ESPN analyst, “they are playing their best basketball when their best basketball is needed. Their defense has gone to another level.” Jefferson zeroes in on the Jays in particular after calls to split up Boston’s star wings earlier in the season as well.
The duo “are quieting any questions that could possibly be out there,” regarding that early season chatter according to the former NBA champ, which is important to Jefferson.
Could this team be a legitimate title contender? It’s shaping up to look like they might well be a darkhorse option on the strength of their defense alone, but if Tatum keeps up at this killer pace on offense, darkhorse will be far too conservative of an adjective.
This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
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