3. Jayson Tatum
Jayson Tatum is undoubtedly an elite talent and thus far he has been loyal in his career, although it is honestly way too soon to truly tell. While he seems like someone who takes pride in being loyal and winning that way, he is so young and if the Boston Celtics cannot put it all together his future is not guaranteed.
Regardless, Kobe was Jayson Tatum’s favorite player, as he grew up a Laker fan, and it shows. The way that Tatum can create a shot out of just about any situation alongside his footwork in the post and his defensive presence… it all has shades of Kobe.
That should not be a surprise. Tatum didn’t just grow up watching Kobe but he also worked out with Kobe back in 2018. Out of any player on this list, Tatum’s game resembles Kobe’s the most.
Booker and Tatum are two very similar players but everything that Booker does Tatum does just slightly better. The footwork is slightly better, the shot-creating is slightly better and the defense is slightly better. Tatum is someone who has MVP potential. Booker is someone who has All-NBA First Team potential.
The Celtics were overmatched by the Brooklyn Nets this year and have been unable to get over the hump in previous years. If the Nets had the same injuries that they had against Milwaukee, and Jaylen Brown was healthy, Tatum and the Celtics could have upset them.
Heck, Tatum averaged 30.6 points per game against Brooklyn. In his age 22 season, Tatum averaged 26.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. He is one of only six players to average 26/7/4 at 22 or younger, joining Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Tracy McGrady, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson.
He is elite but he has not even made an NBA Finals and only time will tell with the loyalty. He is well on his way to being the next Kobe, more so than Booker.