Jayson Tatum is tearing up NBA summer league. Can it last in real games?

Jayson Tatum was always considered a precocious scorer. As a recruit, the St. Louis-bred forward sat near the top of the rankings for his high school class from the moment they existed. He lived up to the hype as a freshman at Duke, catching fire at the end of the season and carrying the Blue Devils on an inspired run to the ACC tournament championship.

The Boston Celtics liked Tatum so much that they traded out of the first overall pick in the NBA draft to land him at No. 3. Right now, Tatum is giving Boston fans an early peek into what they can expect during his blazing start to NBA summer league. Tatum has popped off for 20 points or more three times in five games. He’s already hit a game-winner and put a rim-rattling dunk on his resume.

He’s also living off some tough makes right now. Is this a sign of Tatum’s future as a go-to scorer or a reason to be cautious projecting his development?

Tatum has done his damage largely on a dizzying array of fadeaways and step-back jumpers. Dirk Nowitzki would be proud watching these highlights:

That isn’t a one-time thing. Tatum is doing the one-legged fadeaway again ....

... and again:

This is not some new trick for Tatum. As far back as his days as a recruit, Tatum’s skill in the mid-post has always been the first item on scouting reports. He should have even more room to get these looks off on a bigger, more spacious NBA floor than he did at Duke.

The problem for Tatum is that the spots on the floor he’s best at are inefficient spots by nature.

Tatum’s summer league highlight reel is impressive in part because the shots he’s hitting are so difficult. It’s fair to wonder if that’s sustainable against better competition in the regular season.

Through five summer league games, Tatum has only taken 10 three-pointers, making three of them. He was a capable shooter from three-point territory (34.2 percent) in college, but it’s not his bread and butter. He’ll have to work to extend his range as he grows up in the NBA.

Tatum’s inability to get to the free throw line is also a concern. He had the second-lowest free throw rate of any American college player drafted in the top 10, only behind Lonzo Ball.

To be fair, Tatum also had the highest free throw percentage of any player in this group at 84.9 percent in college. He’s kept that up in summer league, hitting 21 of his 23 shots from the charity stripe.

Finding easy buckets doesn’t just apply to Tatum as a scorer — it matters as a passer, too. Tatum’s biggest weakness as a college player was that he struggled to create for others. He finished his lone season at Duke with 76 turnovers to 62 assists.

That trend has continued in summer league. Tatum currently has 12 turnovers against seven assists through five games. Tatum should get better in this area as time goes on, especially under a coach who emphasizes sharing the ball like Brad Stevens.

He better. How he grows as a passer will determine his NBA future as much as anything else.

There’s no denying that Tatum is uniquely skilled at putting the ball in the basket from 18 feet and in. He has ways of scoring that no other rookie can match. There are forwards who have been in the league for 10 years who should be jealous of his footwork and his ability to create his own look in a pinch.

It’s just fair to wonder if these plays can sustain in the regular season against longer, more athletic players. It’s much harder to hit those turnarounds against NBA veterans than guys invited for a summer league tryout.

For Tatum to become an All-Star-level player, he’ll have to continue to improve as a passer, three-point shooter, and rim attacker. At only 19 years old, he has plenty of time for that. Playing for a great coach like Stevens should be a huge help.

The Celtics should be encouraged that Tatum already knows his spots on the floor and how to get to them. The question is if he can continue to score efficiently from areas that are traditionally the least efficient on the court. Boston placed a big bet on Tatum when they traded out of the No. 1 pick. Ultimately, he will need to round out his game to reach his potential and justify the Celtics’ decision.