Jayson Tatum Didn't Think He Was 'Good Enough' to be Drafted by Celtics in 2017

Jayson Tatum is one of the best players in the NBA, but when he was drafted by the Boston Celtics in 2017, he didn't think he was "good enough" to play in a lineup that included Gordon Hayward, Isaiah Thomas, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart.

"First of all, I didn't even want to come [to Boston] because I didn't think I was going to play," Tatum told reporters Saturday following a 124-114 win over the Brooklyn Nets. "They had Gordon, JB and Isaiah Thomas and Smart, I didn't think I was good enough to be on that team."

The Celtics selected Tatum third overall in the 2017 draft out of Duke after the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers passed on him with the first and second overall picks, respectively.

The 76ers selected Markelle Fultz and the Lakers selected Lonzo Ball. Tatum is now considered better than both players, as are several other players from the 2017 draft class.

Tatum has improved in each season since his 2017-18 rookie year. He entered the 2023-24 campaign coming off a career year in 2022-23 in which he averaged 30.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 74 games while shooting 46.6 percent from the floor and 35.0 percent from deep.

The 25-year-old entered Saturday's game against Brooklyn averaging 29.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists in four games this season while shooting 56.3 percent from the floor and 40.6 percent from beyond the arc.

It's somewhat comical that Tatum didn't think he was good enough to play alongside Hayward, Thomas, Brown and Smart, because he's now better than each of those players as he continues to make history in a Celtics uniform.

In the second quarter of Saturday's game, Tatum became the youngest player in Celtics history to score 10,000 points. The honor was previously held by Antoine Walker, who was 26 when he accomplished the feat.

Tatum, a four-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA selection and the 2022-23 All-Star Game MVP, is still searching for an NBA title in his seventh season.

With the additions of Kristaps Porziņģis and Jrue Holiday to go alongside Tatum, Brown and Derrick White, the undefeated Celtics are primed to make a run to the NBA Finals this year after falling to the Miami Heat in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals.

If Tatum wins a title this season, he'll solidify himself among the NBA's upper echelon.