Aron Baynes alludes to Jayson Tatum’s ‘superstar’ potential in ESPN interview
Tatum is entering his third season in the NBA, and is preparing to represent Team USA in the FIBA World Cup beginning next month.
Aron Baynes may no longer be a member of the Boston Celtics, but that didn’t stop him from praising his former teammate Jayson Tatum. In an interview with ESPN on Monday, Baynes gushed about the young Celtics forward’s outstanding offensive ability, saying he’s ready to take the next step. “Definitely [he’s ready to reach superstar status],” Baynes said. “He’s so talented – even from the first day I played with him when he was a rookie in his first preseason, you could see how talented he was offensively. And he also wants to work on the defensive end which isn’t common in the NBA – some guys live on that offensive talent but he wants to develop his all-round game.”Baynes was interviewed as he prepares for the FIBA World Cup with the Australian National Team. He thinks that playing international basketball is a great way for the young Celtics on Team USA to improve. “Those younger guys [Tatum and Jaylen Brown] are thirsty to go out and improve their game and there’s no better place than the summer time playing international ball against some of the best players in the world.”
While Baynes had lots of praise to give to his former teammates, he made it clear that, “right now they’re wearing the wrong colors and I’m not going to take a backward step against them.”
While Tatum’s scoring numbers improved in his second NBA season — he averaged 15.7 points per game — he also saw a dip in efficiency. Tatum’s field goal percentage dropped from 48 percent to 45 percent, and his three-point field goal percentage dropped from 43 percent to 37 percent.
Baynes spent the last two seasons in Boston, playing in 132 games and averaging 5.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He was traded to the Phoenix Suns during the NBA Draft earlier this year along with the 24th overall pick in exchange for Milwaukee’s 2020-first round pick.
Team USA is set to face Team Australia twice in the next week: on Thursday, Aug. 22 and Saturday, Aug. 24 in exhibition games leading up to the FIBA World Cup.