Jason Tatum: I'm going to average over 20, make the All Star team, and the Celtics are going to the finals

[koningcosmo]

they downgraded from kyrie to kemba and lost horford, how are they supposed to be better then last year??

One would assume Tatum thinks he's improved more than enough?

to also do what horford did on the field?? horford gone and kemba in means really bad defense for the celtics. Kemba is higher volume shooter then kyrie with a worse shooting percentage. so why should they improve over last year when they were not even close to getting to the finals. they have no argument over the Bucks or the sixers.

[basketballRob]

Nice story.

Sent from my SM-G965U using RealGM mobile app

[koningcosmo]

they downgraded from kyrie to kemba and lost horford, how are they supposed to be better then last year??

I disagree on the downgrade comment. Kyrie to Kemba is an upgrade, imo. Kyrie has more natural talent than Kemba but Kemba is a much better leader and he can help this young Celtics group rally around him much more than Kyrie was ever able to do. But yes, losing Horford (and not replacing him with anyone of note) is indeed an issue.

As for Tatum, there's no doubt in my mind that he can average over 20PPG. He probably will. I also think that he has a decent chance at making the All-Star team. But I don't think that the Celtics will go to the Finals. The Bucks and the Sixers both figure out to be better than them.

how is it an upgrade when kemba is one of the worst defenders, higher volume shooter then kyrie with worse percentage and he proved nothing in charlotte kyrie even has more assists a game then kemba.

there is no doubt in my mind that he can avg 20pts but that doesnt make you an allstar, he is also talking finals when the celtics clearly got worse. I dont question his talent and scoring atleast 20ppg, but the rest i do.

[IAMZOOTED2]

Tatum high. He been hanging out with Chris Tucker recently...

[dhsilv2]

they downgraded from kyrie to kemba and lost horford, how are they supposed to be better then last year??

One would assume Tatum thinks he's improved more than enough?

to also do what horford did on the field?? horford gone and kemba in means really bad defense for the celtics. Kemba is higher volume shooter then kyrie with a worse shooting percentage. so why should they improve over last year when they were not even close to getting to the finals. they have no argument over the Bucks or the sixers.

I didn't say I agree with him.

[koningcosmo]

they downgraded from kyrie to kemba and lost horford, how are they supposed to be better then last year??

From talent perspective..yes they downgraded but chemistry/cohesion they will be better. Another year of the core playing together, love kyrie but his ego got the best of him and caused too much friction between he and the rest of team as a result the chemistry and team effort was way off last season. Addition by subtraction essentially. Tatum and/or brown will be primed to make a leap this season.

we havent seen a min of kemba en the celtics, lets wait with the chemistry/cohesion will be better. the only argument of kemba over kyrie at the celtics is chemistry. yet those are only assumptions as they have yet to play a single second.

[BillTheGOAT]

looks at score..feel sorry for poster who is obsessed with the Celtics.

[dakomish23]

Any other player says it: “what a delusional statement”

A player on your team says it: “what else is he supposed to say??!!”

I doubled my stock in Tatum when it went spiraling down so I think he can and will do it. I just think it’s funny how differently ppl react to the same stuff when another team’s player says stuff like this.

[Triple7]

He should worry about making the playoffs first before claiming they are going to the finals and trying to be a 90 in NBA 2k

[celtics543]

they downgraded from kyrie to kemba and lost horford, how are they supposed to be better then last year??

I disagree on the downgrade comment. Kyrie to Kemba is an upgrade, imo. Kyrie has more natural talent than Kemba but Kemba is a much better leader and he can help this young Celtics group rally around him much more than Kyrie was ever able to do. But yes, losing Horford (and not replacing him with anyone of note) is indeed an issue.

As for Tatum, there's no doubt in my mind that he can average over 20PPG. He probably will. I also think that he has a decent chance at making the All-Star team. But I don't think that the Celtics will go to the Finals. The Bucks and the Sixers both figure out to be better than them.

how is it an upgrade when kemba is one of the worst defenders, higher volume shooter then kyrie with worse percentage and he proved nothing in charlotte kyrie even has more assists a game then kemba.

there is no doubt in my mind that he can avg 20pts but that doesnt make you an allstar, he is also talking finals when the celtics clearly got worse. I dont question his talent and scoring atleast 20ppg, but the rest i do.

The argument would be that Kemba was playing with guys who belong in the G-League last season in Charlotte while Kyrie was playing with some pretty solid players. Kemba had to shoot every time because no one else on that team could score while Kyrie was allowed to pick his spots a little more, leading to a higher percentage. I'd be shocked if Kemba doesn't have his best year ever this season at least from an efficiency standpoint.

Then you factor in the chemistry improvement by getting rid of Kyrie, Terry, and Marcus Morris, and I think that's basically a wash. The Horford loss hurts but will the improvement from JB, Tatum, Smart, and the improved health of Gordon Hayward be able to make up for that? Horford was a great defender but it's not like he was putting up huge number at all.

Best Case Scenario: Hayward reverts to all star form, Tatum and Brown take the next step, Kemba thrives not having to carry everyone, and Robert Williams can be a rim protector defensively. Celtics have a chance at making the Finals.

Worst Case Scenario: None of the above happens, Hayward still looks lame, Kemba is hurt, Kanter is a turnstyle, Williams isn't ready, and the Celtics are terrible and maybe get an 8 seed.

I'd put money on being closer to the best case than the worst but I'm also looking at it through green colored glasses.

[Celts17Pride]

And they say Kyrie was the main problem...

You will find out soon enough.

[arh1109]

He may get the first two, but there's no way the Celtics will get past the Bucks and Giannis. 76ers also a threat although they might suffer from spacing issues.

[Blaze4G]

Well what is he supposed to say? I mean......"I'm gonna average 13 points per game and we're going to get bounced in the first round as an 8th seed." I for one (coming from a Sixers fan) think that Tatum is going to be a star player in this league. He's shown way too much to not get to an all star status, and he may even be better than that if he can stay healthy and keep improving. So averaging 20+ a game and being one of the main catalysts on a contending team isn't really all that far out of reach. Especially on that team with the talent they still have and the coaching they get from Stevens. The Celtics are just never a team i'm willing to bet against, they find ways to win, they find ways to stay relevant. Playing in the eastern conference is no cakewalk, but there are 3-4 teams that could make the finals next summer in Milwaukee, Philadelphia (i'm hoping), possibly Indy, and I honestly think Boston is up there over the likes of Brooklyn, Miami, and of course Detroit. So with that being said....Giannis and Milwaukee can be stopped in the postseason, Joel Embiid has had his injury issues...It's not that far fetched of him (Tatum) to make such proclamations.

Good to see some common sense in this thread lol.

His prediction of averaging 20+ is not unrealistic at all. Although, I do see him more around the 18-19 points per game this season.

I think that can get him in the all star game since the Eastern conference does not have much star power that he has to compete with for a spot.

Go to the finals: I don't see why others think this is far fetched. I have philly as favorites then bucks, then Celtics tied or slight edge over pacers. Being the 3rd most likely team out of 8 to make it to the finals is not far fetched.

[Blaze4G]

He may get the first two, but there's no way the Celtics will get past the Bucks and Giannis. 76ers also a threat although they might suffer from spacing issues.

I personally think people are looking pass how big of a loss Brogdon will be for the bucks. I don't think they will be as good as last season. I do still have the bucks over the Celtics but I wouldn't be surprised if the Celtics got pass them.

Celtics getting past a healthy philly imo is much harder. But the keyword is healthy.

[L3GEND4RY]

What else is he supposed to say, i'm going to average 10 points, the Celtics will not make the play offs and i'll have a 75 rating? Would that be the correct answer? Leave the kid alone, let him play the season and see what happens.

And yes of course the Celtics won't win the title this season, nobody with a brain would expect that. But a player has to say he wants to win it all otherwise people question his motor.

how about try and be humble and say you are just going to work hard and try to win as a team.

Taum/Brown/Rozier being ego maniacs and thinking they are great before proving anything was as big a problem as kyrie last year

It’s almost like clockwork at this point. I don’t even need to get to the second page of a thread.

[skones]

We'll see what he thinks halfway through the season when he realizes the loss of Horford put their defense in shambles.

[The_Hater]

As soon as a player is worried about his NBA2K rating, that’s actually cause for concern. That should never be a goal.

And the Celtics aren’t very much of a threat for the finals at all, they just replaced 3 starters, 2 of them all-stars, and two other rotation players with Kemba Walker and Enes Kanter. This doesn’t vault a 49 win team into contention.

[Joest2003]

I wonder how Kemba feels about that.

Considering his best teammate in 8 years in Charlotte was Al Jefferson trust me he's happy

[Joest2003]

How dare a young guy have confidence in himself and set goals. No wonder half you guys are still in your moms basement

[MrDollarBills]

Exactly. Because the Nets are going to the Finals.

I love how in a topic about Jason Tatum making delusional statements, your focus is on the Nets.

Rent free.

The kid is just saying his goals for the year. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. It’s not like he’s saying something delusional like the earth is flat!

I agree that believing that the earth is flat is pretty kooky....and you were perfectly fine with that til Irving didn't want to be in that **** show of a locker room Boston had last season *shrugs*

Again, how this thread went from Jason Tatum talking about the Celtics going to the finals (pffft haahhahaha) to Kyrie Irving and the Nets is real telling. Yall need to let it go.