Tatum tries latest Nike sneaker technology
Jayson Tatum clearly has elite status at Nike. The sneaker-maker picked the Celtics forward to break in its latest invention against Toronto last night – the HyperAdapt BB.
The shoe’s laces are tightened remotely, either from an app on Tatum’s phone or, during a game, with side buttons.
“They fit like a glove,” he said. “So it’s like putting a glove on and it just grasps to your foot. It’s very, very secure. … It feels fine. They’re super comfortable and secure. So ... I like the shoe.”
Gimmicky shoes go back a long way, at least to the Reebok Pump, the push-button sneaker that took off after Dee Brown pumped and no-look dunked his way to the 1991 slam dunk contest crown.
“Yeah, it came a long way,” Tatum said.
His coach wouldn’t mind being gifted a pair.
“He has a motorized shoe? I hope that makes him super fast,” Brad Stevens said. “Don’t know, doesn’t have wheels on it, does it? That’s pretty cool. Hopefully when I go back into my office, there will be a pair sitting there for me and my son.”
Leonard a problem
The Celtics squared up last night against the Eastern Conference’s most irresistible force, Kawhi Leonard.
These days there doesn’t seem to be much in the way or trapping, or any other kind of scheming, that slows him down.
“He’s super hard to defend. That’s why he always gets the ball, and he still scores,” Stevens said. “That’s what the great players in this league do. You have to provide appropriate attention to him. But they have great shooting around him, and I think they have another of the great closers in the East in (Kyle) Lowry. The minute you over-commit, one of those shooters is open, and like we saw in both of our games, (Serge) Ibaka and (Pascal) Siakam are crashing the glass. That’s just as big a problem as a shooter being open.
“They’ve got a really good team that really fits, and they’re tough and they’re smart, complement one another. Good basketball team. Toronto has been great since I’ve been in the league. The sixth straight year where they’re one of the class teams.”
New system
Stevens has enough on his plate without paying particularly close attention to the focus of his old life – college basketball. And that counts doubly for the NCAA’s new way of ranking teams with its NET system.
Most of the metrics that go into determining the pecking order have not been shared with the public. But Stevens can only imagine the anxiety for coaches is the same.
“To be honest with you, I have not looked at any of them,” he said. “I’m sure they’ve provided angst for a number of college coaches. This is the time of year that is most stressful if you’re a college coach because you can’t see the end of the tunnel, and you know every single game means a ton for getting into the tournament. That’s what you want to do.”
It’s probably a good thing that Stevens hasn’t paid particularly close attention. As of this week Butler had dropped to 52nd in the rankings.