The Boston Celtics, having passed on the opportunity to pick first in the 2017 NBA draft, selected Duke forward Jayson Tatum with the third pick.
Tatum is highly regarded by scouts for his isolation scoring prowess. Tatum is a classic one-on-one type player, coincidently compared often with former Celtics forward Paul Pierce. While not an excellent shooter, Tatum has an advanced offensive repertoire for his age.
In his one season at Duke, Tatum averaged 16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He shot at a 45.2 clip. He scored double figures in all but three games.
Tatum scored a career-high 28 on the road to defeat Virginia on Feb. 15.
The Celtics won the lottery courtesy of the Brooklyn Nets’ pick, but rather than select Markelle Fultz, general manager Danny Ainge dropped back with Philadelphia to acquire another first-rounder in 2018 or 2019 (protections dependent). Time will tell if forfeiting Fultz for Tatum and another pick was a wise decision.
Boston will hope Tatum relieves pressure from lead-scorer Isaiah Thomas. The team is also expected to pursue forwards Gordon Hayward and Blake Griffin in free agency.
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