NBA Legend Raises Big Question About Celtics' Jayson Tatum image
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Vince Carter has a big question about Jayson Tatum.
Following Tuesday's season opener, which saw the Boston Celtics blow a 22-point lead to the Detroit Pistons, the Hall of Famer questioned whether Tatum can be "the guy" the Celtics need him to be after trading Jaylen Brown.
"You lose a guy, a scorer like Jaylen Brown — I'm not gonna use the word crutch, but he was a guy when Jayson Tatum was not playing well, you can rely on that guy," said Carter. "Tonight we saw PG be that guy, but when they started to take away PG, take away those looks, now Jayson Tatum has that opportunity.
"So for me, it's who's gonna be this consistent number two? They have to stay healthy. But, you know, when you're in this position now, we're gonna always look at Jayson Tatum as that guy and can he deliver?
"It's unfortunate, I mean, they had a 22-point lead. With experience, you gotta finish that game, particularly when you have a guy playing his will alongside you."
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Carter's comments came after a nightmare outing for Tatum.
Tatum recorded a 13-point, 11-assist double-double in Boston's loss, but he shot 6-for-23 from the field and missed all seven of his 3-point attempts.
The second half was particularly tough for Tatum, as he scored two points on 1-for-10 shooting in the final two quarters.
It doesn't help that Tatum was guarded by arguably the NBA's best perimeter defender in Ausar Thompson. Still, there's no question the Celtics will need Tatum to be better to reach the heights they want to this season.
It's only one game, but Carter is already putting Tatum on notice.
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