Kevin Durant's Nets defeated Jayson Tatum's Celtics in five games. Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

Nets' Kevin Durant praises 'elite' Jayson Tatum after series against Celtics

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 6/5/21

The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Boston Celtics in just five games during their first-round matchup, but one player in green still managed to impress his opponents.

Nets star Kevin Durant praised Jayson Tatum while discussing the series in an episode of his podcast, "The ETCs." The two-time NBA champion put Tatum in the conversation of the best players he has faced in a playoff series, along with Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Tim Duncan.

“He was a tough, tough cover.”@KDTrey5 reflects on the Nets/Celtics series + @jaytatum0’s incredible performance on a special YouTube-only edition of #TheEtcs.

“He’s that elite level of player already at 23…it was an honor to play against them.”

: https://t.co/DbFjs1DslE pic.twitter.com/jNYqgxWTQW
— Boardroom (@boardroom) June 4, 2021

Tatum admitted in a tweet on Friday night that he has looked up to Durant and is happy to have earned his respect:

Earning the respect of guys you looked up to https://t.co/RaJBCAjWw4
— Jayson Tatum (@jaytatum0) June 5, 2021

Tatum averaged 30.6 points per game in the playoffs, including a 50-point performance in Game 3 and a 40-point night in Game 4.

The 23-year-old put together the best season of his career this year, averaging a career-high 26.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game while shooting 45.9% from the field and 38.6% from deep en route to an All-Star selection.

Tatum will only continue to get better, and earning the respect of Durant, who has long been one of the NBA's best players, certainly is something he should be proud of.

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