Since the start of the 2018 NBA Playoffs, Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant has stayed connected to the court through his “Detail” series that streams exclusively on ESPN+. He’s focused on different players throughout the playoffs such as Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, but the most recent episode took a close look at Boston Celtics rookie Jayson Tatum.
Tatum has been excellent throughout the playoffs for the Celtics, leading the team in scoring at 18 points per game. His and Mitchell’s performance have gone a long way towards showing many that rookies can perform at a high level under the brightest lights the NBA has to offer.
Tatum has said in the past that Kobe was his favorite player growing up, so it should come as no surprise that he loved the Kobe video.
So much so that Tatum has watched it several times, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPN:
“That was really cool for me. Growing up, [Bryant] was my favorite player. That was really a special moment for me. … I’ve probably watched [the video] like 25 times already. It’s very helpful information that I can take with me.” Tatum said the biggest thing that stuck with him was that Bryant noted how Tatum’s foot sometimes points toward the midcourt stripe during drive attempts from the corner instead of at the basket to promote a stronger angle of attack. “It was something that he noticed — and I mean, it made a lot of sense when he pointed it out.”
Even though he is a member of the Celtics, Kobe surely recognizes and appreciates Tatum’s outstanding feel for the game and advanced offensive repertoire. Kobe has always been about giving advice to the next generation and this series is a way for him to do that.
Tatum had an excellent season, as evidenced by him joining the Lakers’ Kyle Kuzma on the All-Rookie First Team. Now with Kobe giving him some more advice on how to improve his game, his already bright future gets just a little brighter.
However, Bryant has also developed a bit of a curse with his series. Each player that’s been featured has either lost their next playoff game and/or the series. The latest to be impacted was Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.
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