Jayson Tatum compares the new Celtics addition to the Hall of Fame LA trade in Lakers news.
Celtics All-Star forward Jayson Tatum had some interesting comments about his team. Boston has been on a tear all season long, and they’ve been the best team in the league.
The core of Tatum and Jaylen Brown has been dominant once again, and it’s worked to perfection this season. But over the offseason, Boston added a few pieces that Tatum believes are the missing pieces.
Per ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, Tatum recently spoke about the addition of big man Kristaps Porzingis and compared the trade trading for him to the Lakers’ move to acquire Pau Gasol years ago.
I can see where Tatum is coming from, but Gasol was a far better player than Porzingis is. Gasol was also the second-best player on the Lakers team, while Porzingis may be the third or fourth on any given night.
When the Lakers acquired Gasol, they were down in the dumps. Los Angeles needed another star to pair with Bryant and the team hadn’t been far in the playoffs in years.
Boston has made the NBA Finals recently and was one game away last season as well. Adding Porzingis does help, but the Celtics were already successful in their own right.
Tatum likely sees Porzingis as the player to help take them over the hump, but comparing the trade of him to Gasol is a little far-fetched. Boston has been impressive this season, but they have a well-rounded team altogether.
The Celtics star has always looked up to Bryant, but this one may have been a miss from him.