Ready For Prime Time

He is a rookie starter and much is expected, yet as Jayson Tatum warms up with his teammates before his first NBA game, he appears impervious to the noise and the lights and the pulsating anticipation inside Quicken Loans Arena.

- Jackie MacMullan

This is the home of the Cleveland Cavaliers—LeBron James’ house—and while Tatum is a teenage visitor, he prides himself on one particular basketball trait: He is rarely jittery on the basketball court.

I’ve played this game my whole life, Tatum thinks. This is what I do.

He playfully pokes the ball free from fellow Celtic Shane Larkin in the layup line. He launches smooth long-range jumpers in between conversations with his mentor, Kyrie Irving. As the minutes count down before the 2017 tip-off, the fans bellow as the Cavaliers sprint onto the floor. Derrick Rose, the former MVP, leads the charge. Trailing him is Dwyane Wade, the future Hall of Famer. Tatum doesn’t intend to gawk, but as he fixes his gaze on them, his mind wanders.

I wore both of their jerseys growing up, Tatum thinks to himself.

He waits, as the crowd does, for his childhood hero to emerge. James jogs out last, his lips pursed, his jaw set. Tatum searches for a hint of recognition, but James looks straight through him.

“He was so much bigger than I thought,” Tatum says. “I felt like a kid. I mean, I guess I was one. I was only 19. After that, he was the only thing on my mind. As long as I can remember, he’s been the best or one of the best in the league. And that’s when it hit me: ‘That’s LeBron. What am I doing out here?’”

The game unfolds at warp speed. Tatum has an open lane to the hoop and Irving fires the ball into him. Tatum reminds himself to go up strong but not too strong, then elevates with an ease that is initially comforting until … Ah! Too late! Lying in wait is James, who springs up and swats away Tatum’s first NBA offering like it’s an annoying gnat.