Jayson Tatum's performances for the Celtics has him in MVP discussion
- Planet Sport writer
- 29 March 2022
Jayson Tatum is enjoying the best season of his career, as he has the Boston Celtics at the top of the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics were 18-21 at one point this season, as they were sitting in 11th place in the conference. However, they've remarkably lost just seven times since then and now boast a 47-28 record.
Much of that has to do with the play of Tatum. He averages 28.4 points on 48.4 per cent shooting to go along with 7.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game during that stretch of time.
Jayson Tatum is now leading the league in total points scored. (1,923)
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) March 28, 2022
Playing at a MVP level. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/6flDI33Gtb
Tatum makes scoring the rock look so easy with his ability to shoot the three, post up smaller defenders and drive to the rack with force.
The 24-year-old's recent stretch has many people putting him in the MVP conversation. However, Tatum himself acknowledged that his and the Celtics' slow start to the season may hinder his chances of actually getting it.
"I wish I could start the season like this. Then I'd be MVP," Tatum said, per team reporter Marc D'Amico.
That may be true, but at the same time, the Celtics now own the best record in the East, with Tatum putting up gaudy numbers to back up his case.
Unfortunately, the team record isn't always heavily factored into the equation when breaking down an MVP candidate. Otherwise, Devin Booker and Ja Morant would be ahead of Nikola Jokic in the MVP conversation.
Regardless of who actually ends up winning the award, Tatum has more than earned himself the right to be mentioned in the MVP conversation this season and will be sure to be heavily featured in such debates for years to come.
Can The Celtics Make A Championship Run?
With the Celtics being on top of their conference, the question is, how good are they to actually get to the finals this season?
Well, they have a solid supporting cast in Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Al Horford, and several others to help them get deep into the postseason.
However, Robert Williams III recently suffered a meniscus tear in his left knee and will be out indefinitely, so they'll be missing their defensive anchor and potential Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
The loss of Williams will significantly hurt the Celtics, but they have minutes to give Horford and Daniel Theis to help soften the blow.
With all of these things considered, the Celtics still have a star duo of Tatum and Brown to rely on, which could help them make a nice run in the play-offs, but they likely won't have enough to take down the Brooklyn Nets or Milwaukee Bucks in a seven-game series.
