Jayson Tatum Just Pulled Off Feat Celtics Haven’t Seen Since Bill Russell originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum was impressive on Friday night in his long-awaited debut, but so, too, was Celtics center Neemias Queta, who has been exceeding expectations all season long.
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In fact, Tatum (15 points, 12 rebounds) and Queta (16 points, 15 rebounds) made some franchise history in their shared production, becoming the first Celtics duo in 60 years to tally 15 points and 12 boards apiece while each playing fewer than 30 minutes.
Celtics reporter Taylor Snow made the astute statistical observation on Friday night.
The performance was a reminder that Tatum’s return should only make Queta’s life easier, particularly offensively. Tatum is a gifted passer with advantageous vision at 6-foot-9, able to see things as a pick-and-roll ball-handler that smaller players cannot. JT’s ability to deliver the rock to Queta on rolls to the bucket, as well as on slipped screens, will give Queta increasing opportunities to score moving forward.
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What’s more, Friday night indicated that Queta is still getting used to playing with Tatum and receiving the ball in places that other teammates rarely feed him. A few games from now, things will look even more fluid between the two.
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