2017 Orlando Magic Draft Preview: Who is Jayson Tatum?
Jayson Tatum is a throwback superstar, able to isolate and create from the mid-post. That makes him one of the most promising prospects in this year’s Draft.
There is a certain feeling in a basketball game when one player isolates another. It is a sort of test of individual brilliance in the middle of a team game. It gets glorified on streets and by youngsters. One-on-one play is a standard to say “who is best” even if it has nothing to do with the actual flow of the game.
Then again, these are the moments we remember. It is Michael Jordan finding space against Bryon Russell. It is Stephen Curry being unable to dribble his way into a clean look at a 3-pointer over Kevin Love. It is Kobe Bryant breaking down the defense, forcing the help to free up Metta World Peace (then Ron Artest) for an open 3-pointer.
The game, at the end, does boil down to a series of one-on-one plays. It is about a player beating his man, wreaking havoc on the defense and scoring.
To be a top guy in the NBA, a player has to be able to create shots from nothing. He has to be able to work his way into the defense and find baskets when the offense breaks down.
The Orlando Magic have certainly missed this kind of player. The kind of player who can do all this — clear the floor and let him work to get shots efficiently.
Orlando Magic
There are some strong one-on-one players in this Draft at the top. Markelle Fultz certainly seems like the best one-on-one player in the draft. After him, the answer may clearly be Jayson Tatum from the Duke Blue Devils.
Tatum is a throwback kind of player in many ways. A pure isolationist, able to catch the ball in the mid-post and jab step and make his way to the basket or into an open shot.
But Tatum is more than that. He is the next Carmelo Anthony in some ways, but Tatum does other things really well too.
Tatum has good size to attack the glass and does not need to be the center of attention. He can produce even without the ball in his hands offensively. He is always a threat. Tatum stands out in some ways by what he does when he is not standing out.
There are plenty of questions whether a player who scores the way Tatum does can succeed in the NBA. But the talent was undeniable. As he got more comfortable at Duke and with the college game, Tatum seemed only to get better.
At just 19 years old, there is no reason to believe Tatum will not continue to improve.