The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is impressed with his beloved Boston Celtics, especially when it comes to Jayson Tatum’s play since returning from a long rehab journey.
Following Boston’s win on Sunday over the Charlotte Hornets, Simmons called the Celtics the scariest playoff team in the East (and fourth-scariest playoff team in the NBA) during a new episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast alongside guest Zach Lowe.
Simmons lauded Tatum for his effort on Sunday playing without two co-stars, and also pointed to Boston’s impressive depth.
“Tatum just came in today with no Jaylen Brown and no Derrick White and just basically ran the offense and looked like the old Tatum again,” Simmons said.
“They have all of these bench guys that just seem to be interchangeably effective … they kind of have everything.”
Another observation that Simmons made was about Tatum’s passing. Simmons believes that JT is suddenly a better passer than he’s ever been before, and Simmons also postulated that Tatum’s vision as a passer improved while he was sitting out and watching the game from the bench for an extended period, possibly for the first time in his basketball life.
“I think (Tatum) is a better passer than he was. … I think things slowed down for him a little, and I think he’s seeing passing angles that I don’t remember him seeing in the same way,” Simmons said.
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