"He was raving about Brad Stevens" - Jayson Tatum reveals Mike Krzyzewski's role in Celtics drafting him after Lakers passed on Duke star
During the 2017 NBA draft, the Boston Celtics landed a key pillar of their franchise in Jayson Tatum. Looking back on that time, the All-Star forward opened up on the one person who urged him to look deeper into the iconic franchise.
Following an impressive freshman season at Duke, Tatum decided to make the jump to the pros. While speaking with Jeff Teague on his "Club 520" podcast, he admitted his desire to play for the LA Lakers. They had the second pick that year, and it would give him the chance to follow in his idol Kobe Bryant's footsteps. However, LA showed no intention of ever selecting him.
"I never worked out for the Lakers," Tatum said. "They never came to watch me workout."
After trading back to the third pick, the Celtics became a possible landing spot for Jayson Tatum. He wasn't that interested in going there, but Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski convinced him to have a second workout with them.
"I remember Coach K was like yo, Boston want to have you for a second workout, you should go," Tatum continued. "He was raving about Brad Stevens. He was like Brad is one of the best coaches in the league."
"I had another workout and you know the rest is history."
Since being drafted by the Celtics, Tatum has emerged as one of the NBA's top young superstars. Along with already being a five-time All-Star, he helped deliver the franchise another championship last season.
Jayson Tatum admits that he wanted to be drafted by the Phoenix Suns in 2017
Leading up to the 2017 draft, another team in the mix to land Jayson Tatum was the Phoenix Suns. While speaking with Jeff Teague, he opened up on how they were his top destination after being passed on by the LA Lakers.
Tatum has his doubts with the Celtics due to their roster construction at the time. Loaded with star and veteran talent, he didn't see himself playing much. Meanwhile, Phoenix would have given him an opportunity to be a focal point in the franchise's future.
"I wanted to go to Phoenix," Tatum said. "Earl Watson was the coach, I went out there, I was looking out houses, the weather was nice. They had a young team. I was like man I'm going to get to play."
The Suns ended up taking Josh Jackson with the fourth pick, and he never panned out in the NBA. He hung around for five seasons but failed to find a long-term home.
Jayson Tatum going to the Suns certainly is an interesting "what if." The team wasn't competitive at the time, but Phoenix would have been pairing him with an established Devin Booker. With a promising duo like that to build around, it would have completely changed the trajectory of the franchise.