Nuggets' Michael Malone lobs lofty praise at Celtics star Jayson Tatum

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has cemented himself as one of the best young talents in the NBA and has followed up a career year with a stellar first half of the 2023-24 NBA season. 

And before the team's first home loss of the season, a 102-100 defeat at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, Tatum received some high praise from opposing coach Michael Malone.

While speaking with the media, Malone offered a warning of sorts about the tall task of defending Tatum, as The Athletic's Jared Weiss revealed.

“If you let Jayson Tatum play in any kind of space, he’s one of the best shot makers in the NBA. He’s gonna own you," Malone said of Tatum.

It's hard to argue with the praise from the Denver coach, but his game plan for slowing down Tatum worked for at least one night. The Celtics' 25-year-old star scored 22 points, but shot just 9-of-24 from the field and 1-of-8 from beyond the arc.

Even with a night that saw Tatum average slightly below his average in scoring, he boasts a solid stat line on the year with averages of 26.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. 

More importantly, the Celtics have a strong grip on the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference as it currently stands, as their 32-10 mark is a full 3.5 games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks, four games up on the Philadelphia 76ers and then 6.5 ahead of the No. 4 seed, the Cleveland Cavaliers.