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‘I couldn’t be happier for him’: Jayson Tatum is proud of Paolo Banchero

Cody Taylor
·4 min read

ORLANDO, Fla. — Jayson Tatum and Paolo Banchero forged a friendship some years ago and have remained close ever since, and the two finally had a chance to meet each other on the court in the NBA.

The early advantage went to Tatum and the Boston Celtics.

Tatum dropped a season-high 40 points, eight rebounds and two blocks to lead the Celtics to a 126-120 win on Saturday over Banchero and the Orlando Magic. He set the tone early, scoring 15 points in the first quarter as the Celtics improved to 3-0 on the season.

Banchero countered with 23 points, five rebounds, three assists and one blocked shot for his third-straight 20-point game. He became just the fourth No. 1 pick in history to score at least 20 points in each of his first three games.

Tatum is proud of his early success this season.

I couldn’t be happier for him or his family. I know how hard he works and how good of a person he is. (To be) that size and to be that height and that bulky, and essentially can do everything on the floor, he’s only obviously going to continue to get better. I was happy I finally got a chance to compete against him. Obviously, we’re going to have many more battles in the future.

Tatum and Banchero are each proud members of the Duke family.

Tatum played for the Blue Devils during the 2016-17 season, averaging 16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks. Banchero was there last year and earned All-American honors after posting 17.2 points on 47.8% shooting with 7.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists.

He is a player that Banchero often looked up to, on the court and off of it. Banchero watched plenty of LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony growing up but eventually pivoted to watch Tatum and Anthony Davis, two players at his position.

For Tatum, still viewed by many as one of the top up-and-coming stars in the NBA, the thought of a player watching him and emulating his game is still new to him.

It means a lot. It is funny, I guess. I’m in my sixth year now and guys are coming that are 19 so they’ve been watching me all of their high school career and first year in college — the tables have turned. I remember being in that position and playing against guys I really admired and looked up to. The best part about is the respect is always there.

The way you show it is go out there and compete. No matter how much I like his game or like him as a person, I’m not going to take it easy on him at all. I think, even moreso, I’m trying to guard him and go at him to kind of let him know I respect his game and I know what he is capable of and things like that.

The two players found themselves matched up against each other frequently in their first meeting. In fact, Tatum took the assignment upon himself to guard Banchero on defense after the rookie started to catch a rhythm in the game.

They each found some success against the other as Tatum scored six points on 2-of-4 shooting with Banchero as his primary defender. Banchero had two points on 1-of-4 shooting with Tatum matched up on him.

Banchero took the matchup in stride.

That is an elite player. That is a guy who you always got to have an eye on. When I was guarding him, (I was) just trying to make it hard for him. He is going to make shots so you can’t let that discourage you. You gotta step up on the next possession and guard him.

Tatum and Banchero share a mutual respect for each other, but that takes a backseat when they meet between the lines. The competition brings the best out of the other, and that is something that will be on display for the next several years.

They wouldn’t have it any other way.

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Story originally appeared on Rookie Wire