"It was a dream come true just to be drafted, and to be drafted by the best franchise in National Basketball Association history, I'm excited to be here", said Tatum shortly after he showed off his No. 11 Celtics jersey for the first time.
"Celtics fans are the greatest fans in the world. He has a great body, and while he's only 204 pounds, he carries it really well, with broad shoulders and adequate length (6'11" wingspan) for a wing player.
The Celtics, of course, never got to make the first pick in the draft. As always seems to be the case, nothing came to fruition.
Tatum addressed the struggle he faced at the start of his only season at Duke for coach Mike Krzyzewski and what it took to overcome the setback after Tatum sprained his foot during a preseason workout.
Last night, Ainge revealed that there had been another workout scheduled last week, in Sacramento, and that Jackson canceled it while the Celtics' plane was in the air.
NEW YORK-With a Blue Devil freshman selected in the top three of each of the last four drafts, Duke has grown accustomed to one of it own hearing his name called early on draft night.
Duke has had a player picked in the top three each of the last three years: Brandon Ingram (No. 2, 2016), Jahlil Okafor (No. 3, 2015) and Jabari Parker (No. 2, 2014). Does Tatum have a stronger value as a player or a trade option?
Jackson also spoke on the misdemeanor charge of criminal property damage in relation to a December incident in which he allegedly kicked a vehicle being driven by a Kansas women's basketball player.
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Insiders reported new details about the display Galaxy Note 8, on the release date and even an approximate cost of new items. Which is probably why it made a decision to go with a small-ish 3300mAh capacity battery for the Galaxy Note 8.
Ainge insisted Tatum was the best fit.
It was 6-foot-8 Jayson Tatum out of Duke.
INTERNATIONAL INTRIGUE: A year after almost half the draft-a record 27 of the 60 picks-were international players, French guard Frank Ntilikina and Finnish forward Lauri Markkanen, who played a year at Arizona, are two of the top international players. "He's got terrific upside as a player, a great work ethic and his parents have done an fantastic job raising this young man".
His hard work and determination led to him being handed a key role in the Eastern Conference Finals - an honour not many enjoy in their rookie season. Jon thinks it gives the Celtics enough time to reset their assets for an additional pre-draft deal.
Stevens is meticulous when getting familiar with players. Again, very high character. "He's not a great shooter but he can make shots", said Bilas. "When I talked to coach [Mike Krzyzewski], he was obviously very complimentary".
"I look at it as a great opportunity", said Tatum. "Everything that he said validated what I'd already heard (about Tatum)".
A Los Angeles native with superstar potential, the ability to get buckets, and the court vision/feel for the game that we haven't seen out of a college player in years?
In a draft where the Celtics weren't in love with one specific player, it begs the question: Did the Celtics take Tatum because they liked him best as a player or as a person? "They cancelled a workout on us when we flew out to Sacramento, and they just chose to cancel it as we flew - just [coach] Brad [Stevens] and I and [assistant general manager] Mike Zarren flew cross-country". Ainge admitted he was frustrated by the whole ordeal.
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