Is Jayson Tatum the best Duke basketball player in the NBA?

Duke basketball great Jayson Tatum is on his way to stockpiling NBA honors.

Despite suffering a 141-126 home loss in Game 4 against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum has already put together some incredible performances so far this postseason. And in just a few years in the NBA, the former Duke basketball one-and-done has already become a multi-time All-Star at the age of 23.

He has also become one of the most prolific scorers in the entire league. Especially over the last decade, the Blue Devils have produced more NBA players than any other program not named Kentucky. Out of all those players, few have been able to produce like Tatum.

Tatum’s career in Durham got off to a slow start since he missed the first few weeks of the 2016-17 season with injuries. It took him a few games to hit his stride, but the 6-foot-8 forward certainly showed signs of being an unstoppable scorer.

Where Tatum was really able to separate himself was during the 2017 ACC Tournament. He averaged 22.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals over a four-game stretch to help his Duke basketball squad secure the title. That stretch must have convinced the Celtics that he was their guy since they held the No. 1 pick in the draft before trading down to select him at No. 3 overall.

The Duke basketball product’s remarkable young NBA career

Looking back on it, Jayson Tatum really benefited in his rookie season from Gordon Hayward’s injury. It allowed him to accept a much larger role and play heavier minutes. That obviously boosted his confidence and assured him that he could be a great NBA player because he had a big part in the Boston Celtics getting all the way to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals that year.

Since then, Tatum has gotten better every year.

In fact, it seems like he progresses every time he steps out on the floor. Tatum’s combination of size and skill makes him nearly impossible to defend. His signature side-step and step-back moves have become deadly, and even the league’s best defensive players can’t do anything to stop it. He plays with a ton of confidence and can effectively score on all three levels.

It is only a matter of time before Tatum brings home a scoring title and possibly an MVP.

Not only has Tatum become one of the NBA’s best scorers, but he has also been able to contribute toward winning. Other than Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving, there are no other former Duke basketball players currently in the league who have ever helped a team get to the playoffs as the clear-cut No. 1 scoring option.

It is only a matter of time before Tatum is able to lead his team to an NBA Championship.

That feat will probably not come this season, however. The Celtics are depleted right now without their other All-Star players in Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker, so Tatum has had to shoulder a bulk of the offensive load.

It also doesn’t make it any easier the Celtics are playing one of the most stacked teams in league history. The series isn’t over yet, though. But Boston will likely need another 50-point outing from Tatum just to have a shot.

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Duke basketball has produced a ton of high-quality players, but only a small number of those players have Hall of Fame potential. Tatum is going to be around for a while, and he is only going to continue to have big scoring performances and deep playoff runs.

From what I see right now, besides Tatum, the only other NBA Blue Devils right now who have a shot at the Hall of Fame are Irving and maybe Zion Williamson, although it’s still way too early to tell for most of the young cast.

If Tatum continues to do what he’s currently doing, then he’ll be well on his way.

Facing a 3-1 deficit, Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics — including another one-time Duke basketball star in Jabari Parker — will play do-or-die Game 5 on the road against the Brooklyn Nets at 7:30 p.m. ET Tuesday.