Doc = one of the only true NBA gods. I am conceding the point. And I’m treading lightly here.
Anyway, you know Jayson Tatum as a well-spoken, fundamentally sound Duke kid, a potentially potent hybrid of Paul Pierce and Danny Granger, the one who definitely goes first in any 2017 redraft, the 19-year-old kid who fought a mammoth case of Rookie Jitters during
Thursday night’s win over Golden State before finally settling down late. He’s not nearly as cool as Dr. J was. He can’t jump as high or float as long.
But Tatum stole Doc’s leaning Drive-and-Swoop, a move that hasn’t been done consistently well in 30-plus years. Here’s the move: Start 15 feet from the hoop, glide by your defender, take two giant steps, then stretch the ball past or through defenders for right-handed finger-roll layups. Defenders never realize Tatum can reach the rim after those two steps, but he always does.
And like Doc, Tatum finishes the same move going left by shooting with his right hand—on that side, he twists his body like a high jumper about to pass over the bar.
Tatum already shoots 3s, turnarounds, and stop-and-pops at a stunningly high level, but that Doc Drive-and-Swoop sets him apart. To borrow a WWE phrase, it’s a finishing move—his personal version of Randy Orton’s RKO. Throw in his sterling free throw shooting and Tatum looks like a future 28 PPG/50-40-90 guy.