Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports
In Poll of NBA Coaches, Scouts, and Executives, Jayson Tatum Earns Votes for NBA's Best Player in Five Years
Jayson Tatum is coming off a campaign where he earned All-NBA First Team honors. The three-time All-Star produced 26.9 points, eight rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game, all career highs.
Along with making meaningful strides in creating quality scoring chances for himself and his teammates, Tatum led the NBA in defensive win shares with 4.6, per basketball-reference.com. He also swiped a steal per contest.
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As evidenced by the Celtics reaching at least the Eastern Conference Finals in three of Tatum's first five NBA seasons, his stats aren't just empty calories. Boston's remarkable in-season turnaround, going from 11th in the East in January to returning to the Finals for the first time since 2010, reinforced that.
Tatum's success and what it's meant to the Celtics as a collective has earned him two of the 15 votes for who a panel of NBA coaches, scouts, and executives believe will be the best player in the Association in five years. Tim Bontemps of ESPN conducted the poll.
The two who received more votes than Tatum were 27-year-old two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who got seven, and 23-year-old Luka Doncic, who got six.
"Just because of the defensive component," said an Eastern Conference scout speaking about Tatum. "Luka is a stud, and you don't need to be a defensive lockdown guy to be an All-NBA player like he is, but having Tatum's self-creation ability, his physical tools, and his ability to give you defensive versatility, that's pretty special.
"Luka did a hell of a job carrying that team this year, but the two-way wing creator/scorer is the ultimate archetype, and Tatum is that at 24 years old and just got that team to the Finals. I just like his ability to give you something defensively that Luka likely never will be able to."
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Tatum winning a ring within the next five years would go a long way towards establishing himself as the NBA's best player. It may even be necessary for him to reach those heights. He also might accomplish that and raise banner 18 to the TD Garden rafters this season. Some, such as FanDuel Sportsbook, view Boston as the betting favorite to win the 2022-23 NBA title.
Further Reading
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Examining How the Celtics Might Manage Their Center Rotation
[Watch] Jaylen Brown Pushes Himself to the Limit in Offseason Workout
