Jayson Tatum
No one expected a rookie to fill into an All-Star’s shoes.
Gordon Hayward’s horrific season-ending injury should have been the end of the Boston Celtics’ season. After trading away their best player and two great defenders, Ainge should have given up and called it a season. This was not the case, however.
Give credit to Brad Stevens, but Tatum has the appearance of a future elite scorer as a rookie. Even with Hayward’s injury, Tatum has continued to shine as a Celtic. Although he certainly isn’t Hayward, Tatum is more than capable to spot up and take jump shots.
If you were predicting that the C’s were going to ride an eleven-game win streak, you are lying. Tatum has been a huge part of Boston’s success, and his statistics have shown even half of Hayward’s previous stat line is still good enough to win in the NBA.
Kyle Kuzma
Yet somehow, it was not Lonzo who took over Laker Nation during the beginning of the season. It has been Kyle Kuzma, the uncertain combo forward out of Utah.
Lakers management could not have asked Kuzma for more during thus far in his rookie season. I’ve been impressed with the way that he is able to spot up or create his own jump shot.
Likewise, his ability to score has transitioned into a fantastic stat line. As the new Lakers starting power forward, Kuzma was able to increase his average scoring to nearly 15 PPG on 50.3 percent shooting.
Above all, Kuzma has lived up to the hype created during the Summer League and offseason. He is currently a dark horse for Rookie of the Year. Meanwhile, Lonzo has failed to reach up to the levels that Kuzma enumerated.