Less than two years removed from high school graduation, St. Louis native having major postseason impact.
Video: Jayson Tatum high school highlightsChaminade star one of the best to come out of St. Louis.A future in the NBA wasn't too difficult to envision for
Jayson Tatum during his high school career at
Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.).
At 6-foot-8, Tatum had the size, skill and natural scoring ability to make a quick transition to the game's highest level.
But even the most optimistic analysts wouldn't have predicted the rookie's impact in this year's NBA Playoffs as a member of the Boston Celtics.
Heading into Wednesday's fifth game of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Philadelphia, Tatum is averaging a team high 18.3 points per game to go along with 4.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists.
Prior to his one-year stint at Duke, Tatum was a first team MaxPreps All-American as a senior at Chaminade, averaging 29.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per game while leading the program to a state title.
He was the MaxPreps National Junior of the Year in 2014-15 and shared Sophomore of the Year honors with Josh Jackson of the Phoenix Suns in 2013-14.
See the video above for a look at what made Tatum so special at the high school level.
Jayson Tatum in action as a senior at the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions.
File photo: Randy Kemp
