Jayson Tatum: A Next Generation Stephen Curry?

Stephen Curry is a phenomenal shooter with a ridiculous talent to get a quality shot off on anyone guarding him. There is a reason that the Warriors have won two of the past three NBA titles, and it’s because Chef Curry is constantly cookin’ up the formula for victory. However, young talent enters the league, and one rookie in particular catches my eye. Jayson Tatum is an elite player already, and if he continues to play at the level he is playing at, he will develop into a bigger weapon than Curry himself.

One thing that did bother me about Steph Curry was his three point shooting percentage coming into the league. While it was a respectable 43.7%, it was nowhere close to the 51.5% that Tatum is shooting from beyond the arc. Of course, there are other factors that influence this statistic. Tatum has not been exposed to a playoff atmosphere as of yet, nor has he finished the season as of yet, whereas Curry is a point machine when it matters, shooting over 41% from beyond the arc in the postseason. However, Tatum is showing no signs of slowing down halfway through the season and has a significant stat cushion should he run into shooting problems before the end of the season.

Shooting accuracy is just one way to measure a player’s accuracy, but the best way to measure a player’s benefit to a team is through the plus minus stat. In Curry’s first season in the NBA, he posted a -188 for the season, which all things considered wasn’t that bad for a player’s rookie year. The difference with Tatum is that it’s halfway through the season and already boasting a +145. In fact, it took Curry five seasons to post a higher plus minus than Tatum’s +145. Sure, it helps that Tatum is in a starting lineup with names like Kyrie Irving and Al Horford, but a lot of it has to be a combination of Tatum’s high scoring ability and stellar defense.

Another thing to consider is the role that each player plays in the organization. Steph Curry’s ability to shoot the three ball essentially redefined the Warrior’s offensive approach. When Curry entered the league, he was the starting point guard for 77 of the 80 games, averaging a heavy workload of just over 36 minutes and 17.5 points per game for the 2009-2010 season. Meanwhile, Tatum is being very limited in his rookie season, held to just over 30 minutes per game while still averaging a solid 13.8 PPG on the season. Considering Tatum gets six less minutes each game yet averages just three less points than Curry in his rookie season proves that Tatum’s production for the C’s will eventually rival Curry’s as he starts getting a bigger workload on the Celtics. Combining that with Tatum’s ridiculously high scoring percentage while on the court shows that as he gets a bigger workload and more scoring opportunities he will begin to outperform Curry in the scoring category as well.

Tatum’s season isn’t over yet, but his play so far is one of the reasons that the Celtics currently have the best record in the NBA. If he can maintain his shot and match Curry in crunch time, Jayson Tatum will become the foundation for a new Celtics dynasty. Granted the rookie has a lot to prove in such an elite league as the NBA, but he already showed that he’s having a better rookie season than Curry did. Tatum is sizzling right now, and given some time to catch fire, Chef Curry might be replaced by Tatum as the new top chef in the league.

Written by Paul Choma