Duke’s Tatum tantalizing
Late in the first half of Duke’s ACC Tournament quarterfinal victory over Louisville on Thursday afternoon, Blue Devils big man Amile Jefferson corralled a rebound off a missed free throw. As soon as Jefferson had possession, the Cardinals set up their full-court press.
Jefferson pivoted away from pressure and handed the ball to freshman Jayson Tatum, who paused for a moment to survey the floor before speeding ahead of Louisville wing Deng Adel with a series of left-handed dribbles. As Tatum crossed halfcourt, a second defender approached. The 6-8 forward crossed over to his right hand, split the double team and shoveled a no-look pass to teammate Harry Giles. Giles then slammed home the wide-open dunk.
It’s the type of play from Tatum that has NBA teams salivating — the speed, the athleticism, the ball handling, the vision. Those skills, along with a polished and diverse offensive arsenal, make Tatum a sure-fire lottery pick in this year’s draft. Some predict him to go in the top5. And that means he’s a viable candidate for the Knicks, who possess the eighthworst record in the NBA and are trending downward.
Tatum scored a game-high 25 points in the 81-77 win over Louisville, helping Duke advance to a semifinal matchup with UNC. Thursday’s scoring output followed a 20-point, nine-rebound, four-assist performance in Wednesday’s secondround win over Clemson.
So considering all of Tatum’s talents, which part is most impressive?
“How versatile he is,” Jefferson said Thursday. “He’s really quick. Getting to the lane, he’s crafty. He can finish a bunch of different ways.”
“He’s a dynamic player,” Jefferson continued. “He’s a guy that can do a lot of different things on the court.”
As it stands, the Knicks have a 2.8% chance at the No. 1 overall pick and a 10% chance at a top-3 pick. If the standings remain the same, they’ll be guaranteed a top-10 pick. Depending on how the lottery shakes out — and more importantly, what happens on Draft Night — the Knicks may have a shot at Tatum.
And despite their glaring need at guard, particularly at point guard, they would be remiss to not at least consider Tatum and his 6-11 wingspan. That is, unless the Knicks beat the odds, garner a top-3 pick and have a chance to draft players like UCLA’s Lonzo Ball, Kansas’ Josh Jackson or Washington’s Markelle Fultz.
But back to Tatum. Louisville players were effusive about his offensive capabilities after their loss to the Blue Devils. At 6-10, Cardinals center Mangok Mathiang stands just two inches taller than Tatum, but he wouldn’t dream of executing some of the moves the freshman phenom does.
“Basketball right now is evolving. It’s changing a lot. You’ve got bigs that are playing guard positions, and it’s making (it) a lot harder to play defense,” Mathiang said. “At the same time, it’s fun to just see a guy that’s almost your height go out there and do something that your point guard could do. It’s amazing.”
Added Louisville guard Donovan Mitchell, who was stuck guarding Tatum on multiple occasions Thursday after inopportune switches: “When he sees a mismatch, he takes advantage of it . ... He’s a real talented offensive player. He’s very unique in his own way.”
Perhaps most impressive is how Tatum’s game has progressed in his only college season. Teammates have noticed