Mar 11, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Jayson Tatum (0) drives against Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Bonzie Colson (35) and Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Matt Farrell (5) and Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Rex Pflueger (0) during the second half of the ACC Conference Tournament final at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

3. Jayson Tatum, Duke Blue Devils

  • Position: Small Forward
  • Age: 19 (03/03/1998)
  • Height, Weight, Wingspan: 6’8.0″, 204 pounds, 6’11.0″
  • 2016-17 Slash Line: .453/.336/.866
  • 2016-17 Averages: 33.2 MPG, 16.9 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.3 APG, 1.1 SPG

Like many Duke stars before him, Jayson Tatum has drawn comparisons to popular NBA players. For Tatum, it’s Carmelo Anthony and Paul Pierce.

So no pressure.

Luke Kennard gets all the credit as Duke’s MVP, and rightfully so. But Tatum is the one who will need to carry Duke over the hump.

Tatum broke out during Duke’s phenomenal ACC tournament when they won four games in four days en route to the championship. He averaged 22.0 points on 55.4 percent shooting from the field.


Anthony is a lot like Anthony in that he is a complete scorer, and unlike many young players, he has a mid-range game. With Melo as a mentor, while he’s a youngster, there’s no telling what this kid can develop into.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR