The NBA season starts this month — this irresistible carnival of 7-footers dribbling around defenders and little dudes dunking and shooters swishing 3s from what would be 4-point range. The modern game is worth a follow, even if you’ve previously given up on the league or don’t live in an NBA market.
This season, in particular, should showcase the unveiling of Victor Wembanyama, the next-leveling of Anthony Edwards, the last stand of the LeBron Lakers and the title defense of Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets, one of the more-fascinating champions the sport has ever seen.
But from a ºüÀêÊÓƵ standpoint, the sales pitch is simple — here’s thinking that two ºüÀêÊÓƵ natives will face each other in the NBA All-Star Game and then, mark my words, the NBA Finals.
And their symmetry is astounding.
The Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, raised in University City, attended high school at Chaminade, was named Gatorade national player of the year, played one year in college, was the No. 3 pick in the NBA draft and became an All-Star.
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The Suns’ Bradley Beal, raised in University City, attended Chaminade, was named Gatorade national player of the year, played one year in college, was the No. 3 pick in the NBA draft and became an All-Star.
(Also, how about this — Beal’s mom was the high school volleyball coach of Tatum’s mom).
This season is Beal’s first with a new team. The Wizards franchise icon — he’s 160 points behind Elvin Hayes for most points in Washington NBA history — requested a trade this summer. He ended up in Phoenix, where he’ll play with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. Frankly, Beal should’ve tried to switch teams a couple years ago, but he felt both allegiance to and belief in the Wizards organization.
“It’s bittersweet,†said Beal, who turned 30 this summer, to ESPN’s Malika Andrews, “knowing you’ve been somewhere for so long, you’ve created a family there, you’ve established yourself there. Now it’s like being a rookie all over again, without being drafted. But this is exciting. I feel like I belong. It’s like a new chapter. This is unbelievable opportunity ... it’s kind of unexplainable. I’ve never played around so much firepower.â€
For Washington, Beal was the No. 1 option (and, if you will, the No. 2 option, too). For Phoenix, he’ll be the No. 3. Now, Beal will still not just score points but pour in points. He’ll likely average somewhere from 20-25 points per game. But Kevin and Devin are top-10 players in the NBA (actually, ESPN had Booker at No. 11 on its ballyhooed top-100 list, while Durant was No. 7).
Also on the Suns’ roster, and likely in the Suns’ rotation, is former ºüÀêÊÓƵ U. standout Jordan Goodwin, who played high school ball at Althoff Catholic. And along with center Jusuf Nurkic, Phoenix is a title contender.
“That’s why I’m here — something we always dream about as kids is that we want to play in big games, meaningful games,†Beal said. “This organization is going to do that. We have targets on our back, every single night. I knew, once the request was put in, that it was what I was signing up for.
“We’re shooting for a championship. It’s not going to be easy, it’s not going to be a cakewalk. But we know that we have the pieces to do it. It’s up to us to go out and make it work.â€
His longtime friend will try to make it not work, at least on four nights in June.
Tatum is a megastar at this point, an A-lister with a high Q-score. He’s got his own shoes, not just for Nike, but for Nike’s Jordan Brand. He’s in commercials for Gatorade and Subway. He’s played six seasons — in four of them, he advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals (and in 2022, his Celtics lost in the NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors). He’s been a four-time All-Star, twice was named first-team all-NBA and, last season, averaged 30.1 points per game.
The only triumph missing from his resplendent résumé, of course, is a ring.
Well, last month, Boston acquired Jrue Holliday, the point guard with a championship pedigree and a pristine reputation around the league. Last season, he averaged 19.3 points and 7.4 assists. Holliday has been named to five all-defensive teams. And Boston, of course, also has Jaylen Brown, Tatum’s fellow All-Star who averaged 26.6 points, nearly seven rebounds and would be the top player on, say, about a dozen other NBA teams.
The Celtics also traded their thumping heart Marcus Smart — who played collegiately at Oklahoma State for ºüÀêÊÓƵ U.’s Travis Ford — and acquired, in a three-way deal, Kristaps Porzingis. The 7-foot-3 player was the NBA’s original “Unicorn,†before Jokic emerged and Wembanyama was drafted. Porzingis has battled injuries and expectations for much of his career. Last year, he averaged 23.2 points and 8.4 rebounds for, of all teams, Beal’s Wizards. But in his seven seasons, he’s only played in 10 playoff games.
Still, quite a good get. And, I think, fit. But Boston has built a culture. Boston has revered role players, notably Derrick White. And Boston has a hungry core.
Here’s thinking Tatum leads the Celtics to the Finals, where he’ll meet up with Beal in a matchup made for ºüÀêÊÓƵ.