Bucks spread, moneyline, over/under, player props and moreEverything you need to know about the Celtics restartDoes 'home court' matter in NBA bubble? Jayson Tatum shares Celtics' mindsetNBA Restart: Kemba Walker's knee among key Eastern Conference storylines 2020 NBA Restart: Will Winter Jayson Tatum make summer return inside the NBA bubble?Celtics' Kemba Walker admits 'nagging' knee injury has been 'frustrating'Latest NBA championship odds for top contenders as seeding games beginCeltics Talk Podcast: Is facing the Bucks right away an advantage for C's?Besides Jayson Tatum, which Celtics player is most critical to playoff success? In summer 2015, Tatum joined the St. Louis Eagles Prior to his senior year, Tatum made a verbal commitment to As a senior in 2015–16 Tatum averaged 29.6 points and 9.1 rebounds and posted six 40-point games while leading Chaminade to its second Missouri Class 5A state championship.Tatum was rated as a five-star recruit and considered one of the best prospects in the 2016 class. It’s the colloquialism we’re rolling with to describe the Tatum we saw right before the 2019-20 season paused (we’ll also accept “February Tatum” as a more direct reference; Late-Winter Tatum would be even more accurate).If Tatum was a Pokemon, Winter Tatum would be his evolved form, a souped-up version of a player that was already among the league’s best. Another threat, another ball-handler, another guy that’s a competitor and a winner, and we’re happy to have him back.”Walker connected on five of his nine shots, including a trio of 3-pointers. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Tatum attended hometown Chaminade College Preparatory School, where he was rated a five-star recruit and regarded as one of the top players in the Class of 2016 by recruiting services. "I knew what I was coming into. It’s hard after you come out at the end of the third to then be inserted for a couple of minutes.”Walker has embraced the Celtics’ plan and says that, tough as it can be, he has to stay committed to the path. For all the talent that Boston possesses — with essentially four All-Star players in its starting lineup — every championship-caliber team has one player it can lean heaviest on when the games matter most.But before we look ahead, we should look back. He was selected with the third overall pick by the Boston
The scary part for the NBA: It might not be his final form.The Celtics need something close to Winter Tatum if they truly desire to compete for a title inside the bubble.
All-Star forward Jayson Tatum has found himself a spot on ESPN Senior Writer Zach Lowe's 2020 NBA awards ballot, making the renowned analyst's All-NBA Third Team. Jayson Tatum shares Celtics' mindset NBA Restart: Kemba Walker's knee among key Eastern Conference storylines 2020 NBA Restart: Will Winter Jayson Tatum make summer return inside the NBA bubble? "I thought [Walker] looked great,” said Gordon Hayward. "I knew I wasn’t going back in. He might have secured himself an All-NBA berth with his play during that span.
Some are still waiting to see it in game action before they’re convinced.So what will July and August and September Tatum look like? "He just puts so much pressure on defense when he comes off pick-and-rolls and with his speed.”Walker entered the game knowing he was going to play a maximum of 20 minutes but that didn’t stop him from playfully lobbying to get some extra second-half floor time. It’s probably asking a bit much for Tatum to pick up right where he left off. Some Celtics fans spent the early portion of quarantine fretting about how Tatum didn’t own a hoop at his Boston-area home, then only finally exhaled months later when the Celtics sent along video of Tatum splashing a whole bunch of long-distance shots when players were first allowed back into the facility in June. Will Winter Jayson Tatum reemerge inside the NBA’s summer bubble?Beyond Kemba Walker’s health, it might be the biggest question facing the Boston Celtics as they prepare for their first game of the restart on Friday night against the Milwaukee Bucks.What exactly is Winter Tatum, you ask?
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Will he melt in the Florida heat? "Definitely showed good spurts there. He hit his first 3-pointer a short time later as Boston rallied back into the game.Early in the second quarter, he sprinted to catch a pass above the 3-point arc, dribbled back towards the midcourt logo, then accelerated off an Enes Kanter screen before draining a pull-up 3 with Milwaukee’s defense sagging. Citing the newfound positional flexibility of the NBA when it comes to these ballots, Lowe has the Duke product as a guard on his submission, along with Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers for the third-string "backcourt". And, yet, with Walker starting the seeding games on a minutes restriction, it will put some added pressure on Tatum to shoulder the offensive load.Tatum had flashes of his late-winter self during the team’s second scrimmage against the Suns.