“Tell him he’s got some work to do,” laughed former Boston Celtic forward Antoine Walker.
Walker, known for his trademark shimmy he would deploy after nailing an especially sexy shot, was a bit tickled by the subtle approximation of his jubilant celebratory boogie deployed by current All-NBA Celtic swingman Jayson Tatum.
The Kentucky product was a Boston stalwart in the leanest era of the storied franchise’s seven-decade history, a fellow traveler of Paul Pierce’s in a time most Celtics fans would like to forget, save for that duo and a handful of other players.
“Nobody does the shimmy better than me!” proclaimed the former Boston big man.
Interview: Kevin Garnett talks Crown Royal, Celtics https://t.co/khVvswkdK3
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 16, 2020
“But, he’s got some work to do before I can even consider it,” added the former Celtic while speaking with Heavy.com’s Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson on a recent episode of the “Heavy Live With Scoop B Show.”
There are a few active players Tatum could emulate, if the sometimes-grainy clips from Walker’s time are too harsh for the Duke products eye holes.
Tatum’s iteration can be seen in the clip linked below:
Jayson Tatum Shimmy . gif pic.twitter.com/lsgb01iad4
— Danielle Hobeika (@dhobeika) August 18, 2020
Compared to the original:
That’s the Antoine Walker shimmy don’t ever get it twisted https://t.co/jrpbwFEkF8 pic.twitter.com/Ro0SKR7eXA
— Corey B (@CoreyB08) February 21, 2020
“Stephen Curry has a nice shimmy,” offered Walker. “John Wall has a nice shimmy. But Jayson Tatum is at the bottom of that list right now.”
“He’s got some work to do. And then he doesn’t – from him, he doesn’t really show a lot of emotion when he plays so he probably really doesn’t have any rhythm off the court. He probably can’t dance. I don’t know. I haven’t been around the new Celtics a lot.”
Judging from the Tik-Toks the St. Louis native made in quarantine, Walker’s theory on the former Blue Devil’s shimmy deficiency might just be the right call.
Then again, the Third Team All-NBA wing might just be focusing on the parts of his game that actually contribute to winning.
