Jayson Tatum has earned a lot of respect on the offensive end over the past few seasons as one of the NBA’s top emerging scorers and playmakers.
But he is more than that.
The sixth-year winger is also an elite all-around defender, and he deserves more praise as a two-way superstar.
Tatum proved to be the case Wednesday night in Cleveland, where he intimidated the Cavaliers throughout the game with his defensive play.
At one end, Tatum had 26 points, three offensive rebounds and a team-high six assists. On the other, he gathered nine defensive boards, landed a steal, and smashed a four blocks of the seasonone of which forced overtime in what turned out to be a narrow 114-113 loss at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
In a game that featured Defensive Player of the Year in Marcus Smart and one of the league’s elite rim protectors in Jarrett Allen, Tatum was arguably the hardest-hitting defender on the court.
It was his own rim protection that stood out, as he hit a variety of shots from dunks to 3-pointers back, finishing with his highest block total since a four-block game on 19 December 2018 against Phoenix. . He also single-handedly matched Cleveland’s team block total, while remaining disciplined enough not to commit a single personal foul.
Tatum’s first block came on Boston’s first defensive possession in the second quarter when Cavs forward Kevin Love cut to the basket for a seemingly wide-open dunk, only for Tatum to slip off the elbow and stuff it to the edge. .
The No. 2 block came early in the third when Cleveland threatened to strike in transition. Darius Garland took the ball to the top of the arc, faked a shot, drove, then kicked Donovan Mitchell into the right corner. Mitchell came in for a driving float but Tatum, who was the last defender on the ground, surprised him by blocking the shot from behind.
The third block also came on an even more frantic quick-break opportunity for the Cavs late in the fourth quarter. Cavs winger Caris LeVert took a defensive rebound from coast to coast and rounded Derrick White under the basket, only to fall victim to another chasing shot from Tatum.
Finally, came the biggest block in the game – and possibly in his career. After leveling the game with an emphatic slam with 6.7 seconds left, Tatum came face to face with Mitchell. Cleveland’s leading scorer circled Jaylen Brown near the Cavs logo before Tatum picked him on the right wing. Mitchell then turned and fell behind the 3-point arc for the game-winning attempt, but Tatum stuck with him and got his hands on the ball to send it into overtime.
As impressive as his dunk was moments before, this game was just as impactful. He saved the Celtics twice – once in each end – all in the final seven seconds of regulation time.
Of course, it didn’t matter in the end, as Boston was one point behind the Cavs, but Tatum’s uptrend at that end Is question.
So far this season, he’s averaging a career-best 1.4 blocks per game. Among non-centers, that ranks him fourth in the league behind a few other two-way stallions, Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo, as well as Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels.
We already know Tatum is an All-NBA talent, but it’s time to respect his defensive game more. Because if he continues like this, he will also be an All-Defense talent.
