Jayson Tatum is an NBA star. There’s no doubting that.
The 3x NBA All-Star continues to evolve and improve his game every year in the league since being drafted out of Duke with the third overall pick by the Boston Celtics in the 2016 NBA Draft.
Over his five NBA seasons, Tatum has impressively elevated his game every year.
His scoring average in his rookie year of 13.9 ppg improved each year to 15.7, 23.4, 26.4 and 26.9, respectively.
His assists per game (apg) followed suit, rising from 1.6 to 2.1, 3.0, 4.3 and 4.4 per game.
Tatum’s total rebounding average (rpg) followed the same pattern as well.
But perhaps the two most impressive stats that attest to his evolving stardom are his shots and free throw attempts per game.
The former has grown from 10.4 to 20.6 per game, and the latter from 3.2 to 6.2 per game.
That means that Tatum is not only shooting more but he’s involved and contributing a lot more.
That also means his teammates are increasingly deferring to him and that the offense is geared more towards him and his talents.
And that means that Tatum has become the leader of the team and the face of the franchise.
This season, Tatum averaged 26.9 ppg, 4.4 apg and 8.0 rpb, all career highs.
In the Playoffs, Tatum continues to sizzle, pushing his scoring average to 28.8 ppg.
Against the Brooklyn Nets, Tatum outdueled Kevin Durant, averaging 29.5 ppg to Durant’s 26.3. He also shot better from the floor, including from three-point land.
Tatum’s performance is one of the main reasons why the Celtics swept the Nets in the first round.
His scoring average was boosted by Friday night’s Game 6 performance where he dropped 46 points on 53% shooting, the latter of which is greater than his career average of 46%.
He also snagged 9 rebounds and made 7 of 15 three-pointers (46.7%), which was also above his career high (38.3%)
But it was WHEN he was scoring that mattered most.
With eight minutes remaining in the game, the Bucks had cut Boston’s 14-point lead to four and the building was on fire. It looked like Boston was about to squander another big lead and sadly bow out of the playoffs in Game 6.
But Tatum refused to allow that to happen.
His teammates fed him the ball and he rattled off 10 straight points. Before Milwaukee knew what happened, they were down double-digits again and eventually lost, 95-108.
Tatum not only forced a Game 7, but he also added his name to the Celtics record books. He’s now the second player in team history with multiple 45-point playoff games.
You would think Larry Bird or Bill Russell would be on that list, but it’s actually Sam Jones and now Jayson Tatum.
Ironically, it’s fitting that a Jason (in this case a Jayson) would deliver a killer performance on Friday the 13th.
“It’s why he get paid the big bucks,” said Marcus Smart. “That’s it right there, for moments like that. I was telling him the whole game, ‘Just be you, man,’ and he was. That’s what he gets paid to do. That’s what we lean on him to do. We did our jobs in the first half to give him a break while they were doing a good job on him. We stood up and stepped up and took care for him and then he came in and do what he did, who he is, and took that game over in the fourth and brought us all home.”
As the Celtics prepare to defend their home court on Sunday and seek to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, most of the attention will be on Giannis Antetokounmpo and whether he can carry the Bucks to another Finals appearance.
Rightfully so as he’s done all he can to lead the Bucks.
But Tatum is equally deserving of the shine, for he’s carried Boston so far and is now the undisputed leader and face of the team.
He’s also dueling with Giannis for the best player in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, and, arguably, the entire NBA Playoffs.
So far in the Playoffs, Tatum ranks fourth in scoring, field goals attempted and minutes played, and fifth in shots made.
He’s made key shots, and even more importantly, he’s taking the big shots, scoring when it’s needed most and has willingly, and comfortably, accepted his role as the team’s star.
If Boston loses, Tatum deserves the praise and accolades for his accomplishments this season.
But if he carries his team to the next round and into the NBA Finals, especially with more big performances, anoint Jayson Tatum with the title of elite NBA superstar.
