Celtics star Jayson Tatum making a strong NBA MVP case early in season originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The last Boston Celtics player to win the NBA MVP award was Larry Bird during the historic 1985-86 season. It was his third straight MVP win.
Will the Celtics’ MVP drought finally end this season?
It’s still too early to get a definitive picture, but Jayson Tatum is putting together a pretty strong case.
Tatum helped the Celtics erase a double-digit deficit on Sunday in a 113-107 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on the road, which improved Boston’s record to 9-2. The superstar wing scored 31 points with 12 rebounds and six assists. Twelve of his points came in the fourth quarter.
Tatum is currently fourth in the league MVP odds (+550) at Fanatics Sportsbook. There are three players ahead of him, including Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (+450), Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+325) and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (+225).
Tatum leads the Celtics in points (30.5), rebounds (7.6), assists (5.0) and steals (1.6) per game this season. He is one of only two players (the other is Jokic) in the league to lead his team in all four statistics per game.
The 26-year-old forward has only had one bad game (by his standards) so far this season. He scored 15 points on (6-for-16 shooting) against the Milwaukee Bucks on Oct. 28, but the C’s still won 119-108.
Tatum has eclipsed the 30-point mark in seven of 11 games, including each of the last three. He became the first player in Celtics history to average more than 30 points per game over a full season in 2022-23, and he’s on pace to do it again.
Tatum actually leads the league in points scored:
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1. Jayson Tatum Celtics: 336 points
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2. Nikola Jokic, Nuggets: 297
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3. LaMelo Ball, Hornets: 294
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4. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks: 284
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5. Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves: 283
Jokic, who has won three of the last four MVP awards, will again be hard to beat for this award. He’s currently putting together an absurd stat line, leading the Nuggets with 29.7 points, 13.7 rebounds, 11.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks per game, while also shooting 56.3 from the floor and 56.4 percent from 3-point range. Denver has a 7-3 record entering Monday.
Tatum’s resume is strong, though. He is the best player on the best team in the league. And Tatum has been in the MVP mix before. He finished top six in the voting three straight years.
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2021-22: Sixth
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2022-23: Fourth
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2023-24: Sixth
This year’s MVP race is going to be a lot of fun. There are so many players likely to have a strong case. If Tatum continues to play at this level, he should at least be among the top contenders come April.
