Jayson Tatum’s already built a strong NBA résumé, winning a title and being named first-team All-NBA three times through his first seven seasons in the league.
Now, in his eighth season, Tatum will likely be named first-team All-NBA for the fifth straight season in the next few weeks. Sometime after that, it’s possible that the Celtics’ star will hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy for a second straight year as Boston is among the favorites to win the NBA title.
If that scenario plays out, Paul Pierce thinks that Tatum will enter the conversation to be included among the best wing players in NBA history. He also believes that Tatum might soon pass one of the game’s all-time great scorers.
“If he gets a chip in another couple more weeks, we’re going to have uncomfortable conversations about where he stands in [NBA] history,” Pierce said on the “Ticket & The Truth” podcast. “People don’t wanna give him the credit, but we’re gonna be like, ‘Shoot, is he better than [Kevin Durant]?’ one day.
“If he gets a couple more, I’ll think about it. Right now, his statistics are on line. He’s heading in the KD direction. Like, he can do everything KD can do. They’re similar in a lot of ways. He might even have more of a handle. His bag is just as good. He can shoot. He can score just like him.”
In terms of regular-season performance, Durant outmatches Tatum through the first eight seasons of their respective careers. The then-Thunder star won an MVP and had three second-place MVP finishes through his first eight seasons. He also scored more points per game (27.6) than Tatum (23.6) through their first eight years, with the Celtics’ star likely to finish fourth in MVP voting for the second time in his career this season.
Durant has also averaged better numbers than Tatum nearly across the board in the postseason through the first eight years of their respective careers. However, as Tatum has led his team to the postseason in all eight years of his NBA career, his playoff volume stats are better than Durant’s were in the first eight years of his career as the Thunder made the postseason five times in that stretch. No player in NBA history has scored more points in the playoffs through the first seven seasons of their career than Tatum (2,711).
Additionally, Tatum stands out among his peers in the postseason, ranking first in wins (55), points (2,348), 3-pointers made (242), and stocks (184 combined steals and blocks). He’s also second in assists (501) and rebounds (799) during that stretch, helping the Celtics contend on a near-annual basis in a time where the NBA has experienced some more parity.
Of course, Durant added a lot to his résumé following his first eight seasons. He won two two titles with the Golden State Warriors and has further cemented himself as one of the game’s all-time greatest scorers. Through 18 seasons, Durant has been named an All-Star 15 times and first-team All-NBA on six occasions. He’s also eighth all-time in scoring and could end up in the top five next season, with it being a possibility that he finishes his career second on the all-time list.
Kevin Garnett agreed with Pierce’s sentiment that Tatum is currently the best American player currently in the league. But he wanted his former Celtics teammate to slow down on the Tatum-Durant comparisons, saying that Boston’s current star has been aided by “arguably the best starting five to ever start in the NBA.”
Now, in his eighth season, Tatum will likely be named first-team All-NBA for the fifth straight season in the next few weeks. Sometime after that, it’s possible that the Celtics’ star will hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy for a second straight year as Boston is among the favorites to win the NBA title.
If that scenario plays out, Paul Pierce thinks that Tatum will enter the conversation to be included among the best wing players in NBA history. He also believes that Tatum might soon pass one of the game’s all-time great scorers.
“If he gets a chip in another couple more weeks, we’re going to have uncomfortable conversations about where he stands in [NBA] history,” Pierce said on the “Ticket & The Truth” podcast. “People don’t wanna give him the credit, but we’re gonna be like, ‘Shoot, is he better than [Kevin Durant]?’ one day.
“If he gets a couple more, I’ll think about it. Right now, his statistics are on line. He’s heading in the KD direction. Like, he can do everything KD can do. They’re similar in a lot of ways. He might even have more of a handle. His bag is just as good. He can shoot. He can score just like him.”
In terms of regular-season performance, Durant outmatches Tatum through the first eight seasons of their respective careers. The then-Thunder star won an MVP and had three second-place MVP finishes through his first eight seasons. He also scored more points per game (27.6) than Tatum (23.6) through their first eight years, with the Celtics’ star likely to finish fourth in MVP voting for the second time in his career this season.
Durant has also averaged better numbers than Tatum nearly across the board in the postseason through the first eight years of their respective careers. However, as Tatum has led his team to the postseason in all eight years of his NBA career, his playoff volume stats are better than Durant’s were in the first eight years of his career as the Thunder made the postseason five times in that stretch. No player in NBA history has scored more points in the playoffs through the first seven seasons of their career than Tatum (2,711).
Additionally, Tatum stands out among his peers in the postseason, ranking first in wins (55), points (2,348), 3-pointers made (242), and stocks (184 combined steals and blocks). He’s also second in assists (501) and rebounds (799) during that stretch, helping the Celtics contend on a near-annual basis in a time where the NBA has experienced some more parity.
Of course, Durant added a lot to his résumé following his first eight seasons. He won two two titles with the Golden State Warriors and has further cemented himself as one of the game’s all-time greatest scorers. Through 18 seasons, Durant has been named an All-Star 15 times and first-team All-NBA on six occasions. He’s also eighth all-time in scoring and could end up in the top five next season, with it being a possibility that he finishes his career second on the all-time list.
Kevin Garnett agreed with Pierce’s sentiment that Tatum is currently the best American player currently in the league. But he wanted his former Celtics teammate to slow down on the Tatum-Durant comparisons, saying that Boston’s current star has been aided by “arguably the best starting five to ever start in the NBA.”
Paul Pierce believes Jayson Tatum is on trajectory to surpass all-time great forward
As Jayson Tatum looks to add to his already impressive résumé, Paul Pierce thinks he might surpass Kevin Durant on all-time lists soon.
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