Bleacher Report Makes Surprising Choice For Celtics' Current X-Factor
Boston has won three in a row after handling the Warriors on Wednesday night at TD Garden.
Bleacher Report Makes Surprising Choice For Celtics' Current X-Factor originally appeared on NESN . Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Surprisingly, Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey identified Jayson Tatum as the Boston Celtics ' "X-factor" heading into the stretch run of the season.
It's a take that Bailey made in an article pinpointing each NBA team's X-factor at this point in time. "At the outset, we said we'd try to avoid stars (on this list)," Bailey wrote. "But the case here is unique.
... Jayson Tatum was a perennial All-NBA forward prior to tearing his Achilles. At the start of the season, Tatum missing all of it seemed like a realistic possibility.
But he's already back, with a few weeks to go before the playoffs. " "That gives him some time to get his regular-season legs under him," Bailey continued. "And even if he can only get back to 90 percent of his old self, plugging that player into 25-30 of the minutes that were long occupied by younger players like Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh could take Boston from Eastern Conference contender to Eastern Conference favorite.