C’s tatum’s list sets high bar for star-in-making
Larranaga: ‘I think he can be elite – historically elite’
One day last fall Jay Larranaga put together a long list of names and texted them to Jayson Tatum without an explanation. The names had a lot to say on their own.
Michael Jordan. LeBron James. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Larry Bird. Kobe Bryant. Hakeem Olajuwon. Kevin McHale. Karl Malone. Patrick Ewing. Scottie Pippen. Tim Duncan. Kevin Garnett. Jason Kidd. Dwyane Wade. Chris Paul. Kawhi Leonard. Paul George. Anthony Davis. Giannis Antetokounmpo. Joel Embiid.
Names like these have always held Tatum’s attention, and he warmed to the riddle.
“What do they have in common?” he texted back to the Celtics assistant coach.
“All-NBA defense by their fourth year.”
Larranaga laughs now, saying, “I used a little poetic license. LeBron didn’t make it in his first four, but he made it (by season six). But all those other guys, it was in their first four. I just did it in a day – you have an idea, you want to pursue it.”
But that’s Larranaga, forever searching for inventive ways to drive his players onto something greater. And in the case of Tatum, Larranaga believes the beginnings of greatness have already moved beyond a glow. He wants Tatum to realize that for all of the offensive firepower on that list – the top five scorers in NBA history are there — all were also great defensive players.
“And they are all Hall of Famers,” said Larranaga. “If the goal is to be an All-Star, and an MVP, and a Hall of Famer, then defense should be on the list too. Kobe made all-defense 12 times.
“I don’t want Jayson to compare himself to anything but the best that have ever been in the NBA. He can go nine out of 10 and people can tell him that’s great, but I think he has the potential to go 10 out of 10. What’s great for him is different from what’s great for the average person.”
The list was, as Tatum understood, a challenge of his defense. Many other Hall of Famers made an all-defensive team by their fourth season, but this group, with a few exceptions like Olajuwon, Duncan and Leonard, is highlighted by legends famous for their scoring.
“(Larranaga) put it in the context of some of the best players who ever played, and some of the guys I’ve admired,” said Tatum. “Some of the things I’ve accomplished at my age – this gives me something to strive for. I want to be mentioned in the category with those guys who did that at such a young age.”
With added muscle from his weight training program to enhance his uncommon reach and quickness, Tatum doubled down on improving his defensive game this season.
But not well enough if he wants to someday add his own name to that list as one of the game’s great two-way players. Larranaga needs him to move beyond just being good, or somewhat great, or occasionally great, and not allow his current successes to interfere with the development plan.
“Almost like ‘good is the enemy of great’,” said Larranaga. “So Jayson has already had a lot of success for us, and has already been an All-Star. I’ve just always tried to push him to hold himself to an even higher standard.”
Modeling Scottie
There’s a story Brandon Bailey likes to tell about watching an older Scottie Pippen guard a young Paul Pierce during a scrimmage between the second Dream Team and the college select team prior to the 1996 Olympics. As Bailey told his fellow Celtics assistant, Larranaga, Pippen picked up Pierce full court, pressured the panicked the Kansas star for roughly 90 feet, and eventually forced him into a corner.
Pierce, overwhelmed, clutched the ball and signaled for a timeout.
“He thought he was being trapped, but in reality it was just Scottie Pippen guarding him on all sides at once,” said Larranaga. “Scottie Pippen was the most dynamic wing defender, and his ability to be special on the ball and off the ball, and get steals and in the post – what makes Jayson so dynamic is his ability to play all facets of the game.”
So there it is, the example on the list that Larranaga considers most applicable to Tatum. They’ve watched a lot of Pippen video this season, and though Tatum’s offense has more range than the old Bulls star, these classes have been about defense.
They agree the Pippen model shows what is possible for Tatum.
“How active he was, how much ground he covered, and how good his anticipation was on the defensive end,” said Tatum. “He’s guarding everyone on the floor.”
Pippen was also ahead of his time.
“Yeah, he was versatile, especially with his height, 6-foot-8 or 6-foot-9, and how lean and athletic he was,” said Tatum. “He could guard the one through the five, block shots, pick up fullcourt and rebound. That’s what made him so special.”
For Larranaga, the first signs of Tatum’s defensive potential appeared in his first training camp, at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island. This offensive prodigy, in his first experience with NBA veterans, glided across the floor on defense making plays.
“I was impressed by how smart he was, and how much floor he could cover just with his length and intelligence,” he said. “Even in his first summer league I was really impressed with his rebounding as much as anything else. There’s offense, defense and rebounding, and the truly great players dominate in all three areas.
“I don’t think I was alone with this. The coaching staff in general was impressed those first few days with how he was always in the right spot, how smart he was and how he kept getting his hands in the passing lanes, and getting his hands on deflections and steals.”
Now read what Larranaga loves about Pippen.
“You ask anyone who played during that time, Pippen could literally cover half of the court all by himself,” he said. “The anticipation, his length and athleticism, and team-mindedness. He was really a great teammate, and I think that came through on “The Last Dance.” That’s another area where Jayson is special – his relationships with his teammates are important to him. He’s just a really likable guy, and not all great players are.
“I’m giving (Tatum) a goal of what he can be at his best, when he gets to be 25-, 26-, 27-years-old. Scottie Pippen went through struggles, and got beat up by the Pistons, and had to embrace weight lifting and getting stronger, and older, but at his best I think at his best Jayson can be the same as Scottie was at his best.”
‘Understanding the game’
Carmelo Anthony, now a relatively beefy 240-plus pounds, tried to post up Tatum on Aug. 2 in the Orlando bubble. Anthony backed his prey fairly deep into the paint, and when the Blazers forward went to his left hand in a turnaround move, Tatum calmly reached over the top to block the shot.
Could he have done this last season?
“Probably not. This is me understanding the game, having a better feel, getting stronger,” said Tatum, who, after almost four months of seclusion following the
NBA’s shutdown, is likely even stronger now than he was in March.
At a time when defensive ability is defined by versatility, Tatum believes he can now handle most power forwards.
“Better than I could my first two years,” he said. “A lot has to do with my physical ability and strength. I came back (to the bubble) stronger.
“My versatility has improved a lot. I want to take on the challenge of guarding the best player on the other team. Whether it’s the point guard or someone playing my position. I want to do the same as I do in the offensive end.”
But as Larranaga is there to constantly remind Tatum, he’s still working on a steep learning curve. Just when Tatum thinks he’s made great progress, there’s a tap on his shoulder.
“Well, I’d better send him the list again then, because I just showed him about 10 clips of him not doing the right thing,” Larranaga said after last Tuesday’s win over Memphis, when he felt Tatum’s communication in the defensive end wasn’t loud or good enough.
“I think he values defense,” said Larranaga. “I think it’s a challenge for any great offensive player to exert as much energy on defense as they do in the offensive end, and one of Jayson’s biggest areas of growth over the next few years, as he becomes more efficient offensively, and does not have to use so much energy to score, will be to impact the defense and to rebound.
“It’s three years in, just three years in the league. He’s still got a long way to go. You can’t let attention distract you from the goal, and the goal is to maximize your potential. If he gets some positive attention for his defense, or thinks he’s made it, or thinks he’s the best possible defender he can be right now, then I would disagree. I think he can be elite – historically elite.”