Plenty of eyes were on Jayson Tatum in anticipation of his first playoff run as the undisputed leader of the Boston Celtics. The same role that allowed him to flourish with career-highs and his first All-Star appearance painted a target on the back of a player who’d yet to feel it when it mattered most.
“Tatum may very well be due for a session that shows him how far he still has to go in pursuit of his peak,” yours truly wrote just before the NBA’s restart. “Or maybe, he really is the player so many have been swift to anoint him as, ready for the moment heading his way.