Dukes Tatum impressive in NBA summer debut with Celtics

The third overall pick in this years draft capped a 21-point performance by hitting a game-winning 18-foot jumper with 5.7 seconds remaining to give the Celtics an 89-88 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers

Brad Penner—USA Today Sports
Duke's Jayson Tatum is congratulated by NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being taken by the Boston Celtics with the third overall pick of the draft last month

The Boston Celtics showed a lot of faith in Jayson Tatum when they traded away the top overall pick in the NBA draft to take him at No. 3. Monday, the former Duke star began repaying that faith by putting on a standout performance in his first professional game in the NBA’s Salt Lake City Summer League. Tatum capped a 21-point performance by hitting a game-winning 18-foot jumper with 5.7 seconds remaining to give the Celtics an 89-88 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers — the team that used that No. 1 overall pick to take Washington’s Markelle Fultz. Not only did Tatum score four more points than Fultz, he also recorded seven rebounds, five steals and three assists in the opening game of the three-day offseason tournament. NC State’s Scott Wood, who led the NBA’s D-League in 3-point shooting last season, is on the Celtics’ roster in Utah but didn’t play Monday. Wilmington native Kadeem Allen, a second round draft pick who played his college ball at Arizona, finished with two points, four rebounds and two assists for Boston. Another first round pick, North Carolina’s Tony Bradley, also had a successful — though more modest — debut Monday. The one-and-done Tar Heel scored eight points with five rebounds and a pair of blocked shots for the Utah Jazz in an 87-74 victory against the San Antonio Spurs. Former Tar Heel J.P. Tokoto added six points, four rebounds and three assists for the Jazz while Eric Griffin, a graduate of Campbell who nearly made the Miami Heat last season before playing overseas, contributed four points and four rebounds to the victory.Across the country in Day 3 of the Orlando Summer League, three former state ACC players were in action.NC State’s Cat Barber was the most productive of the trio in helping the Dallas Mavericks to an 86-76 victory against the Orlando Magic. Barber continued his bid to earn a spot on a training camp roster by scoring eight points on 3 of 5 shooting with two assists and two steals in just 14 minutes of action. UNC’s Marcus Paige also saw limited court time, logging just 12 minutes for the Oklahoma City Thunder in its 99-87 win against the New York Knicks. Duke’s Marshall Plumlee finished with six points and four rebounds in a losing effort for the Knicks. Here are the cumulative stats for all state players participating in the Orlando Summer League:Luke Kennard, Duke (Detroit): 2 games, 15.0 ppg, 11-27 FG, 5-11 3PT, 3-3 FT, 3.0 apg, 1.5 spgCat Barber, NCS (Dallas): 2 G, 11.0 ppg, 8-15 FG, 2-3 3PT, 4-9 FT, 3.5 rpg, 3.5 apgLorenzo Brown, NCS (Detroit): 2 G, 10.5 ppg, 8-15 FG, 1-1 3PT, 4-6 FT, 4.5 rpg, 2.5 apgMarshall Plumlee, Duke (NYK): 3 G, 8.0 ppg, 10-22 FG, 4-4 FT, 6.3 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.3 bpgMarcus Paige, UNC (OKC): 1 G, 6.5 ppg, 4-8 FG, 3-4 3PT, 3-4 FT, 2.0 rpg, 0.5 spg Here are the cumulative stats for all state players participating in the Salt Lake City Summer League:Jayson Tatum, Duke (Boston): 3 G, 18.7 ppg, 22-47 FG, 2-9 3PT, 10-12 FT, 9.7 rpg, 2.3 apg, 2.3 spgTony Bradley, UNC (Utah): 3 G, 8.0 ppg, 11-23 FG, 2-4 FT, 4.0 rpg, 1.0 bpgJ.P. Tokoto, UNC (Utah): 2 G, 4.5 ppg, 3-6 FG, 1-2 3PT, 2-2 FT, 3.0 rpg, 2.0 apgEric Griffin, Campbell (Utah): 1 G, 4.0 ppg, 2-4 FG, 0-1 3PT, 4.0 rpg