Max On Sports Final: Can Tatum Have An Instant Impact On Celtics?
BOSTON (CBS) -- With the No. 3 pick in last week's NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics added some instant offense to their roster in Duke forward Jayson Tatum.
The 19-year-old is touted as the most polished offensive player from this year's draft, someone who can create his own shot even as a rookie. Celtics radio analyst Cedric Maxwell joined WBZ-TV's Dan Roche on Sunday night's Sports Final to discuss the pick, and thinks Tatum could make an immediate impact next season.
"He has the ability to put the ball on the floor and make his own shot. A lot of times, guys cannot do that. One thing that happens with a younger player is they're dependent on the point guard. In this situation, he's good enough to create his own shot," said Maxwell.
The Celtics started with the No. 1 pick after winning the NBA Draft lottery, but traded down with the Philadelphia 76ers to acquire an additional first-round pick sometime in the next two years. Max doesn't understand the criticism for Celtics president of basketball ops. Danny Ainge, who made it clear that Tatum was their guy all along.
"How can you really be sad about that? I don't understand that," he said. "If you think about the Celtics and where they were, they wanted Tatum and they got him at a discounted price, and were able to pick up another draft choice. If you're the Boston Celtics, you're happy about the pick. You have a guy right now who can shoot the ball and has good size."
Tune in to Sports Final and Sports Final OT every Sunday night at 11:35 pm on WBZ-TV!
