BOSTON -- After the most dismal start to the 2017-18 season imaginable -- Gordon Hayward’s broken ankle, a haunting image five minutes into the opener that threatened to overshadow the entire year -- the Boston Celtics have had a lot of encouraging performances. Kyrie Irving looks like a great fit and a supreme talent. Al Horford has taken a step up as a two-way monster. The youngsters look ready to contribute right out of the gate.

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Perhaps none of the performances, however, have been quite as encouraging for the Celtics as rookie Jayson Tatum's two-way play. Tatum was a somewhat controversial draft pick for the Celtics, as Danny Ainge traded down from the No. 1 pick to No. 3 -- acquiring a valuable future asset and keeping tabs on the player he knew he wanted. Celtics fans and many national analysts were confused, however. Why pass up on Markelle Fultz, the consensus No. 1 pick and seemingly a perfect fit as an NBA point guard? Why take a player many believed had already realized much of his future potential?

However, the early returns on Tatum (a 19-year-old, which probably should have tipped us all off that he hadn't realized his future potential yet) have been very promising for Ainge and the Celtics. Not only has the rookie helped the team win -- a rarity among players with his experience -- he has shown flashes of the star he could become down the road.

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So what has been most encouraging about Tatum? His defense and rebounding leap to mind immediately. Tatum is tall and lanky, but he has tons of potential as a switching defender who can also guard up to the four position. Stevens told reporters before the draft he would want to see Tatum guarding positions one through four, and the rookie appears to have that versatility in his arsenal.

But where Tatum separates himself from (for example) his fellow versatile rookie Semi Ojeleye is on the offensive end, where it has been difficult to find holes in his multi-faceted skill set.

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Watching Tatum's Draft Express weaknesses video from the pre-draft process is a worthwhile look back at where he was expected to struggle. Mike Schmitz and the Draft Express crew are some of the best and most reliable online draft analysts and scouts, and their analysis can often guide the national conversation about prospects.

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Here's one of the most interesting knocks they had against Tatum — would he be able to get baskets against bigger, stronger and faster wings at the NBA level?

Overwhelmingly, the answer so far seems to be yes. Much was made of Tatum's smooth game before the draft, and he does seem to glide from place to place. But he can also get high in the air when necessary.

You may remember this put-back dunk against the New York Knicks.

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Jayson Tatum between Tim Hardaway Jr. and Porzingis. 👀 pic.twitter.com/i2WpETWTbc — NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 25, 2017

Tatum skied into the air and brought down a thunderous one-handed put-back slam over two defenders.

Or you may remember this play from the same game.

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Tatum rejected the layup and got out in transition, leaping and guiding a somewhat-errant lob from Terry Rozier (not an uncommon occurrence) through the basket.

Much is made of the type of athleticism Jaylen Brown displays on a nightly basis, and with good reason –- Brown explodes forward, laterally and vertically. His athleticism is flashy and can be wildly entertaining.

But there are plenty of other types of athleticism. Aron Baynes is strong like a boulder, which is athleticism. Tatum is smooth and incredibly mobile, even for his position on the wing. That's also athleticism.

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Watching Paul Pierce for years, Celtics fans got an up-close look at what a player who utilizes mobile athleticism correctly can do. Tatum is different from Pierce -- Pierce’s movements were all staccato dribbling and jab steps, where Tatum will sweep through and past defenders. But the similarities are there in the way each player finds his offense.

But Tatum's offense goes significantly beyond his smooth movements. He is showing his potential as a three-level scorer -- a wing who can find offense all over the court. That three-level scoring opens up offense for everyone else on the roster.

Let's take a closer look at how Tatum is showcasing his versatility.

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Jayson Tatum for three! pic.twitter.com/52GCEmpXZs — Celtics News (@CelticsNewsNBA) October 12, 2017

3-Point Range

Tatum's 3-point shooting was one of his question marks in the pre-draft process. He shot just 34 percent at Duke, and the NBA 3-point line is -- of course -- notably longer than the college line. To make the rest of his game more effective, he would need defenses to respect his range.

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Through seven games, Tatum is shooting 50 percent from behind the arc on nearly three attempts per game. That total is in the 93rd percentile among NBA wings, and while 50 percent probably isn't sustainable, any question about his stroke and whether he will be able to extend to the NBA 3-point line can probably be put to rest. He looks comfortable both off the catch and off a dribble, and he fills gaps nicely so passers out of dribble penetration and post-ups can find him easily.

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Watch Tatum in the right corner on the play above. As his defender sucks in from the corner to contain the penetration by Marcus Smart, Tatum darts above the break where it will be much more difficult to recover. Most of his 3-pointers won't be that wide open, but he gets himself in rhythm and doesn't throw himself off by hesitating.

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One final note on Tatum's shot, which probably should have tipped off analysts before the season began: The rookie has always been a great free-throw shooter, and he is currently hitting 83.9 percent of his attempts at the line. In one of his more impressive performances from the stripe against Philadelphia, he went 9-for-9.

Free-throw stroke in college is often linked to 3-point shooting in the NBA. A good free-throw shooter can usually learn to shoot 3-pointers, even if he isn't great behind the arc in college. Given Tatum's free-throw stroke and his mid-range game, expecting him to become a very good 3-point shooter wouldn't have been much of a stretch. He hasn't proven he can do it long term yet, but all of the signs have been good.

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Jayson Tatum play type % per https://t.co/dTwYickzt8

Spot up: 30.5%

Transition: 20.3%

ISO: 10.2%

Post up: 3.4%#bradstevens — idk (@advancedstats23) October 25, 2017

Mid-Range/Isolation Scoring

This is an intriguing area of Tatum's game, in part because of how little he has utilized it. The Celtics generally try to play to their players' strengths, but Tatum's strength in college was supposedly as a post-up mid-range threat who could face-up to the basket like Carmelo Anthony.

What Tatum wasn't expected to be was a spot-up and transition player. These numbers are from a little earlier in the season, but the point still stands: #BradStevens indeed. Shots around the rim make up 37.5 percent of Tatum's attempts, while 3-pointers make up another 31.3 percent. That's very nearly 70 percent of his offense from the most efficient spots on the floor, while he more or less ignores the less-efficient areas from which analysts assumed he would thrive.

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But where this gets really intriguing is in the potential. The Celtics won't want Tatum to go to isolation or mid-range face-up shots frequently, especially in the early going, but those tricks are still in his tool bag.

Tatum will be able to create space for himself more and more frequently as he develops. His body is still very thin (although he has done a good job of taking on mismatches -- more on this in a minute). His handle is very good for his size and length, and it is still improving.

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Tatum puts Boston in front with 5.7 seconds left following this pull-up jumper, he has 8 of Boston's last 10 points pic.twitter.com/KbJFUqR58W — The Bitter Birds (@AdrianFedkiw) July 4, 2017

Meanwhile, Tatum has shown he can knock down jumpers off a one-dribble pull-up (similar to the play above, although he dribbles more into that game winner). That's an important aspect to his game, since it adds depth to his ability to attack close outs. If the lane is clogged but he can get by his opponent, that jumper is yet another weapon with which he can score.

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Posting Up

In the play above, Tatum shows his basketball IQ. He cuts through a screen from Horford off the inbound, flashing with his hand up like he's going for the back-door lob. Instead, he whirls around with Tyler Johnson on his back and converts through the contact, using his length to avoid getting blocked.

That's the type of play the Celtics will be able to use with Tatum frequently, especially in the future.

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We won't spend a ton of time on his post-ups, since the Celtics have largely been playing Tatum behind the arc on the wing, but it's worth noting how frequently Stevens has used Tatum against mismatches. His height gives him an advantage against smaller players, and his core strength seems surprisingly good -- he can absorb contact with his back to the basket and still convert.

Expect Boston to go to sets like this more often as Tatum gets stronger, and as defenses start to adjust to the fact that he's a spot-up threat. Open cutting lanes will present themselves more and more frequently.

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Also Tatum getting to the rim in three strides lol pic.twitter.com/9rDoAgElnc — LIFELONG PELICANS FAN MAN 69☭ (@Riffs_Man) October 12, 2017

Around The Rim

Tatum's ability to attack close outs and get to the rim goes back to his smooth athleticism, which we discussed earlier. Watch in the play above as he pump fakes Frank Kaminsky past him and takes off toward the rim off the dribble. The Hornets defense is ... less than impressive on the play, but again: Tatum will find more and more open lanes as opponents learn to respect what he can do.

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More impressive, however, is Tatum's ability to create separation at the rim off the dribble. Guarded by Jarrett Jack on the play above, Tatum takes a hard dribble around the Daniel Theis screen and is met by Willy Hernangomez on the switch. Two enormous steps later, and Tatum is able to extend with his left hand at the rim to finish over Hernangomez's contest.

Tatum is finishing relatively well at 57 percent around the rim, per Cleaning The Glass. That number could be higher, but given the rest of his success, the Celtics can't really be anything except thrilled by his offensive performance.

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What We Know Now

Once again: The Celtics have played seven games, and Tatum has averaged 33.1 minutes per game in those contests. The sample size is (of course) too small to draw any complete conclusions.

But while we can't say anything with certainty, we can make some educated guesses. It's fair to assume Tatum's 50-percent 3-point shooting will come down a bit. It's also probably fair to assume his mid-range numbers (43 percent from short mid-range, 22 percent from long mid-range) could go up as his career progresses. It's also possible his percentages around the rim could rise. Tatum's impressive effective field-goal percentage is bolstered by his 3-point shooting, but he might not need 50-percent 3-point shooting to bolster those numbers in the future.

AP Photo / Tom Lynn

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Tatum is picking his spots well. He appears to be a very solid 3-point shooter with mid-range potential and tons of length around the rim. Most importantly, he's proving the questions about his shot selection and offensive decision making pre-draft may have not only been overblown, but off-target with Stevens coaching his efficiency up.

For now, Tatum is not a top offensive option, but an impressive young player benefitting from the stars around him. You don't have to squint hard, however, to see how he could become much more.