Tomase: Tatum can learn plenty from watching Giannis' act from Game 1

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Watching Giannis Antetokounmpo pick apart the Celtics on Sunday afternoon showed us what Jayson Tatum can be.

Not necessarily the high-flying freak who tosses himself backboard alley-oops to escape double teams, but the quick decision-maker who finds teammates before those doubles can make an impact, the long-armed defender who funnels traffic to his rim protector, the voracious rebounder who turns possessions into one-and-dones on one end and keeps them alive on the other.

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Tatum has already taken giant strides in all three areas this season, but they aren't quite Giannis-sized. Though it's indisputable that Tatum outdueled Kevin Durant in the first round, the 33-year-old Brooklyn star's time is fading. The 27-year-old Antetokounmpo is very much the more relevant player to the immediate and long-range future of Tatum's Celtics, and he showed in Sunday's Game 1 just how completely he can dominate a game even when he's not scoring by recording his second postseason triple-double and playing with a physicality the C's struggled to match.

Tatum isn't to that level yet, but he appears well on his way. The question is if he can up his game enough to provide an answer to the defending champion and two-time MVP in time to win this Eastern Conference Semifinals.

He wasn't up to the task in Game 1, but then again, he had plenty of company. Tatum scored just 21 points on 6-of-18 shooting, adding six rebounds and six assists. Whereas he spent most of the Brooklyn series imposing his will on both ends of the floor, against the Bucks he struggled to find an offensive rhythm and was frequently stymied at the rim by the mere presence of center Brook Lopez.

More concerning, he reverted to some early-season bad habits of not only complaining to the officials after non-calls (a constant even in the best of times), but not hustling back on defense against a Bucks team that knows how to exploit a numbers advantage with extreme prejudice.

Tatum is rapidly approaching the point where the players better than him in the entire world can be counted on one hand, but Antetokounmpo remains one of them. The Greek Freak plays with energy and athleticism, but also supreme command. He resembled Luka Doncic or LeBron James whipping one-armed lasers over the top of the defense for open corner 3s, and even though the Celtics harassed him into 9-for-25 shooting, he hardly looked discouraged. He added 13 rebounds and 12 assists to his 24 points and made sure the Bucks remained in control for the final three quarters.

Tatum clearly possesses many of those same skills, and they've been on display for months now. Drafted as a scorer, he's growing as a facilitator, taking that facet of his game to another level during the playoffs, where he's averaging seven assists. The brilliant 3-point shooting of Grant Williams and Payton Pritchard off the bench owes in part to Tatum's confidence while setting them up.

Tatum's also a force when he gets downhill, all angular strides and powerful shoulders that make him a tremendous finisher at the rim, even if he's not quite to Antetokounmpo's level. Sometimes Tatum can soar over you and sometimes he can pirouette around you; Giannis has both options every time he touches the ball.

If there's one area where Antetokounmpo will never match him, it's 3-point shooting. That's one of Tatum's specialties. It remains little more than a dalliance for his rival, who's also a subpar free throw shooter, but has expanded his midrange game.

Tatum's long arms and sturdy frame give him the ability to defend anywhere on the floor, and he made Durant's life positively miserable in the first round. He did not draw Antetokounmpo in Game 1, with veteran Al Horford pretty effectively checking the matchup nightmare, all things considered. But whereas Tatum is evolving as a defender, Giannis is already the real deal, a four-time All Defense selection and the 2020 Defensive Player of the Year. The difference between the two may simply owe to one being 6-8 and the other 6-11, but it shouldn't be surprising if there's an All-Defense selection in Tatum's future.

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The biggest separator between the two might be experience. Whereas Tatum has reached a pair of Eastern Conference Finals, Antetokounmpo owns a ring. The Bucks earned it by being tougher and scrappier than the Suns in the Finals, and the Celtics are seeing that determination full force. The C's like to say that no one outworks them, but Milwaukee disputed that notion on Sunday by beating the grinders at their own game.

Milwaukee took its lead from Antetokounmpo and soared. The Celtics had no answer because of subpar games from Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and the supporting cast, but also because Tatum never got going individually and thus couldn't elevate his teammates.

Antetokounmpo gave the Celtics a master class in dominating a game despite shooting poorly. The series may hinge on how closely Tatum was paying attention.

Note: NBC Sports Boston's coverage of Game 2 begins Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET with Celtics Pregame Live.

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