Before Jayson Tatum was selected with the third pick in the 2017 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics, Tatum was supposed to have been drafted by the Phoenix Suns. In an interview with Matt Barnes on the show titled, “All the Smoke,” Jayson Tatum reveals that he never initially wanted to be a member of the Boston Celtics and instead was ready to represent the Phoenix Suns alongside Devin Booker. Although Boston has a better history, Tatum wanted to represent a team that him and his family can comfortably live. Tatum was preparing himself to play alongside Devin Booker as he felt confident that the Suns would select him until the Boston Celtics traded down in the draft where they would take Tatum. At first, Jayson was against playing in Boston and wanted to live somewhere with good weather and comfort for his family. However, Tatum’s agent encouraged him to give it a chance and see what Boston had to offer.
During this time, the Celtics were the number one seed and made the Eastern Conference Finals where they would fall short to Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Celtics were the last team that needed a top-three pick in the NBA draft; however, many years ago, Danny Ainge managed to deceive the Brooklyn Nets in a trade that many fans never expected to see. Even though the moc-drafts would have suggested Markelle Fultz, the Celtics didn’t need another great potential point guard considering that Boston traded Isiah Thomas for Kyrie Irving while also having Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier off the bench. The best option for the Celtics to draft was either Jayson Tatum or Josh Jackson. The Celtics were more inclined and impressed with Tatum’s offensive potential and decided that he could be the future of the Boston Celtics organization. The Phoenix Suns ended up drafting Josh Jackson. He would barely play for the organization and was eventually traded away to the Memphis Grizzlies due to the emergence of Kelly Oubre. The Boston Celtics, however, ended up drafting one of the best players to come out of the draft and is now the best player on his team.
If Jayson Tatum initially got his wish and was drafted by the Phoenix Suns to play alongside Devin Booker, it would be tough to determine how well he would play there. One of the main reasons why Tatum was a rookie of the year nominee was due to the horrifying injury of Gordan Hayward. With Hayward suffering that terrible injury, a roster spot and an opportunity was open for anyone to grab, and Brad Stevens decided to give that spot to Jayson Tatum. Fast forward to the present day, Tatum is now an all-star leading the Celtics back to glory. If Hayward never got injured, the chances are that Tatum would have shown flashes of potential but would never have the opportunity to become the star player NBA fans know today.
Before Hayward signed to the Celtics, he was an all-star in the Western Conference with the Utah Jazz hence why he received the contract that he did. This determines that Hayward would have played arguably better with the Celtics alongside Kyrie Irving and Al Horford due to the chances of winning a championship that season. The starting five for the Celtics would have consisted of Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Gordan Hayward, Jayson Tatum and Al Horford. If this team were fully healthy, the Boston Celtics would have been the favourites to reach the NBA finals as they have a balance of offence and defence. However, the Boston Celtics shockingly reached the Eastern Conference Finals without Kyrie Irving and Gordan Hayward and took Lebron James to a game seven! This was the moment Jayson Tatum unveiled to the world why he was a top-three pick in the 2017 draft. If the Phoenix Suns drafted him, Jayson Tatum would have likely averaged better numbers but would be in a much worse situation. However, what would the NBA look like today if the Phoenix Suns drafted Jayson Tatum?
2017-18 NBA Season
The Phoenix Suns were the worst team in the NBA for countless years. With the unexpected emergence of Devin Booker, who was drafted 13th overall, the Suns finally had a fighting chance to build around some superstar potential talent. However, with the Suns having a mediocre front office, the Suns to this day are still struggling to make the playoffs. From terrible signings to changing the head coach every season, the Suns have struggled for the last 10-12 years and have failed to grant Devin Booker any help. At the start of the 2017-18 season, Josh Jackson was expected to play a massive role in the team defensively. As NBA fans know today, Josh Jackson is not only out of the NBA and instead in the g-league but is also no longer a member of the Phoenix Suns. If the Suns had Jayson Tatum, the future of the team would look very different.
In the 2017-18 season, the Suns had a record of 21-61 while also being the worst team in the NBA. Even though the team did have a bright spot in Devin Booker, the rest of the roster was nothing but disappointing. However, when incorporating Jayson Tatum to this team, he provides athletism, defence, and above-average shooting. The first two seasons of Tatum’s NBA career, he struggled to shoot efficiently but would also show all-star potential when he shot efficiently. With Tatum being on the Phoenix Suns, he would have been granted more touches around the paint, and more field goal attempts from past the arc. His three-point shooting would be more heavily relied on, and would most likely be one of the best rebounders on the Suns as they lacked a real big man. Tatum would immediately impact this team and would give Devin Booker a spark of hope. T.J Warren was also a member of this team that averaged close to 20 points a game with horrible three-point shooting. During this time, T.J Warren struggled from the three-point line and isn’t the same three-point shooter we know today. The trio of Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum and T.J Warren would be a great start to a rebuild but would still be a very mediocre team. Tatum would most likely average 18 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal and block a game with 15 or more field goal attempts. Although that stat-line is inflated to his actual rookie season, the Suns lacked any depth and would grant Tatum as the second option behind Devin Booker. T.J Warren’s stats would decline slightly; however, he would have a role on the defensive end instead of being relied on scoring the ball as a second option.
The Suns potential starting five would have been Tyler Ulis, Devin Booker, T.J Warren, Jayson Tatum and Tyson Chandler. By including Tatum into the line-up, Phoenix would win more games and would have had a record of 30-52 instead of 21-61. Although that is only a nine-game winning difference, those nine games would determine the future of the Phoenix Suns by a considerable margin.
2018-19 NBA Season
Initially, the Phoenix Suns received the first pick in the 2018 NBA draft and used it to draft De’Andre Ayton, who was the favourite to go first. However, by winning nine more games, their chances of attaining the first pick in the NBA draft become very slim. From just looking at the records in the 2018-19 season, the Suns would receive the ninth pick instead of the first pick due to having the ninth-worst record in the entire NBA. Although they would have the potential of moving up in the draft to the number spot, the chances of that would be nearly impossible. Instead of drafting De’Andre Ayton, the Suns would look to find any decent centers available but would end up selecting a point guard as that position is also in desperate need of resurrection for the Phoenix Suns. The Suns would draft Shai Gilgeous Alexander with the ninth pick as that was the best point guard available. The starting five for the 2018-19 Suns would have been, Shai Gilgeous Alexander, Devin Booker, T.J Warren, Jayson Tatum, and Richaun Holmes. However, the Suns on December 17, 2018, made a trade for Kelly Oubre Jr. and would have most likely started at small forward instead of T.J Warren.
In real life, the Suns finished the year with a record of 19-63. Even though De’Andre Ayton was incorporated into the line-up, the Suns somehow managed to have a worse record than the previous season. However, in the fantasy world, Jayson Tatum would have played better and more efficiently while Shai Gilgeous Alexander would provide much-needed perimeter defence at the guard position. Although Ayton is a terrific center and will be one of the best centers in the NBA down the line, Shai Gilgeous Alexander would be a better fit alongside Booker and Tatum. With his defensive capabilities and shooting potential, Shai would be the perfect compliment to Booker. With the Suns having a great young core to work with, the only thing that stands in their way is the front office and the coaching staff. If the Suns want to be great, they would have to revamp the entire front office and have a new motive for competing for a playoff spot.
By doing this, the Suns would be one of the best up incoming teams in the NBA. Furthermore, instead of Warren getting injured this season, he would most likely remain healthy by having a much lesser role, which indicates less strain on the body. The Suns record-wise would have a record of 36-46 and would barely miss the playoffs. Even though Tatum and Booker would improve and the Suns having a better roster than the previous season, the Western Conference is overpowered as this young team would struggle to win. If the Suns were in the Eastern Conference, they would win close to 40 games and would be a playoff team. By being in the West, however, the Suns would have to face other Western Conference teams almost twice as much as any Eastern Conference team. As a result, the Suns would receive the 10th or 11th pick and would have had the same record as the Minnesota Timberwolves. With this pick, the Suns would look to draft either a center or needed depth.
Like the previous draft, the Suns would miss out on a good center and instead draft the best available player or even trade away the pick. However, with the Suns being as young as they are, they are in no rush to contend and instead would look to draft someone. The Suns would either draft Tyler Herro or PJ Washington, who are both players that can shoot the ball efficiently while also being a spark plug for the Suns. In terms of free agency, the Suns would look to sign a center that could make 10-15 million dollars a season. Some of the names that the Suns could go after would include, Javale McGee, Enes Kanter, Richaun Holmes (the previous starting center for the Suns), and even Demarcus Cousins. Instead of spending most of their money on Ricky Rubio, the Suns already have a point guard in Shai Gilgeous Alexander and would look to spend that money on a decent center. The Sun’s roster would look much more complete, and even though they would lose T.J Warren to free agency, the Suns would still have Kelly Oubre Jr. Phoenix would enter the 2019-20 season as a legit playoff contender that could very well make the playoffs.
2019-20 NBA Season
At the start of the 2019-20 season, the starting five for the Phoenix Suns would be, Shai Gilgeous Alexander, Devin Booker, Kelly Oubre Jr., Jayson Tatum, and Richaun Holmes. In real life, the Suns did not resign Holmes due to having De’Andre Ayton. However, in this fantasy world, the Suns would have no choice but to go after their previous starting center due to cap space. The Suns would also attempt to sign Demarcus Cousins in hopes that he might return this season; however, would fail to do so due to the Lakers signing him. The Sun’s entire roster would be much more completed this season and would have most likely made it to the playoffs for many reasons.
This season, Shai Gilgeous Alexander and Jayson Tatum both had a breakout year. With Tatum being an all-star this season while Shai was playing like a borderline all-star, the Suns would quickly rise and show staggering improvement compared to previous years. Not to mention, Devin Booker was also an all-star this season, and Kelly Oubre Jr. showed elite improvement. With the four best players having arguably breakout seasons, chances are that this team as a unit would have also broken out. The duo of Booker and Tatum would be regarded as a top duo in the west as they would average 20 or more points per game. Shai Gilgeous Alexander would have the duties of defending and play-making while also scoring the ball inside the paint and past the arc. Kelly Oubre Jr. would be the cherry on top, and the Suns would be one of the best offensive teams in the entire NBA. In terms of the record, the Suns would be a playoff team but most likely a first-round exit as they have little to no playoff experience. They would be a 40 win team and be regarded as one of the best future Western Conference teams in the NBA alongside the Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, and the Denver Nuggets.
Concluding Thoughts
In the end, Jayson Tatum to the Phoenix Suns would have been an upside to the organization, depending on the production of individual players. If Jayson Tatum, Shai Gilgeous Alexander, and Kelly Oubre Jr. learn how to play with one another, the Suns would be fairly successful by the third or fourth season of the rebuild. The only weakness that this team has is a reliable center; however, organizations such as the Golden State Warriors have proven that a team can win a championship without a superstar or an all-star calibre center. The Sun’s success would depend on chemistry as well as understanding their roles. If Shai Gilgeous Alexander wants to score more, for instance, the team would suffer and lose games. Furthermore, the Suns would have to run a very strict line-up to be successful.
Jayson Tatum would be the perfect complement to Devin Booker; however, his current situation is much better. Rather than being a sidekick, Tatum is the star in Boston and can do virtually anything he wants. By being the first option in Boston, he was named not only an all-star but also the Eastern Conference player of the month before COVID-19 happened. It would have been interesting to see a world of Jayson Tatum and Devin Booker being teammates; however, Tatum’s current situation is much better. If the Phoenix Suns ended up with Tatum instead of Josh Jackson, what would the Boston Celtics look like today?
