NBA analyst and fellow Duke alumni Jay Williams recently shared his initial assessment of former Blue Devil and current Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum speaking with Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson on the “Heavy on Lakers with Scoop B” podcast.
The fellow former Blue Devil holds Tatum in high regard, but isn’t surprised by the leap forward the St. Louis native took in 2019-20.
“Four years ago, he was a freshman in college, coming in at Duke,” Williams began.
“Jabari Parker was doing his thing in the league around that time with Milwaukee. I watched [Tatum] give [Parker] the business for an hour straight. I’m not talking about college moves. I’m talking about the same moves he’s doing right now.”
“He was doing as a 17-year-old. I remember walking away [thinking] this dude is special,” he added.
Jayson Tatum thinks voter turnout in the US is a ‘big problem’ https://t.co/uloezzWwBf
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) August 29, 2020
For many, Tatum’s jump came out of the blue, but for those who have followed his career as Williams has, it’s much less of a surprise.
“The way he was playing before the pandemic, the way he’s playing right now, he’s going to be in MVP conversation in years to come. He may be one of the best players we will ever have that has donned a Duke uniform.”
“He’s not that athletic, but his skill set reminds of Grant Hill,” added Williams.
That’s a pretty solid comparison overall, and no small praise coming from Williams given the long line of outstanding players coming from the school most NCAA fans love to hate.
