Boston Celtics: Jayson Tatum’s historic start has MVP written all over it

How does a young emerging star respond after a dismal NBA Finals performance and watching his team lose a championship opportunity?  Just look at Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum and how he has erupted to start the 2022-23 NBA season and you have your answer.

In dropping 40 points in the team’s 126-120 victory over the Orlando Magic, Tatum has now scored a total of 104 points through the first three games of the season, which put the young Celtics star in the history books as he became the first Celtics player to ever score more than 100 points in the first three games.

But it’s not about making history for Tatum, it’s about getting his team back to the NBA Finals and being the reason they win Banner 18.  Whether he drops 40 or scores just 10 points but helps his team in other ways.  With Jaylen Brown also doing his thing, Tatum does have the luxury of a deep team that has sprung out to a 3-0 start.

Jayson Tatum is leading the Boston Celtics in points and hunger to win

As the go-to option on a championship contending team, Tatum does get the credit because he is demonstrating he is a leader by doing all his talking on the court.  In morphing into a complete playmaker, Tatum is telling the NBA to put come MVP-caliber respect on his name.  Through three games, he is certainly the frontrunner, but a modest Jayson Tatum knows it’s still early in the season.

"“It’s early,” Tatum said following the victory Saturday night, via Masslive.com.  “Obviously, that’s always been a goal of mine ever since I was a kid.  Getting to the NBA wasn’t just what I wanted to do.  I wanted to be a champion, to reach all those accolades and accomplishments.  And MVP is obviously at the top of that list.”"

If he keeps this pace up, he will capture that dream of winning a title and an MVP award.  As a player who looks more motivated and has the hunger for winning flowing through his veins, Tatum is getting easy buckets for himself by driving to the hoop.  Of course, once he gets hot he is lethal from behind the stripe, but attacking the hoop and that nice mid-range jump shot he has put on display is the difference in his game.

Also, with players like Brown, Malcolm Brogdon, Derrick White and in ways Marcus Smart, Al Horford and Grant Williams, that drive to the basket and mid-range game is setting up the players around him to be successful.  What’s scary about this Boston Celtics team and the 3-0 start is that they are doing it without Robert Williams, and they really aren’t playing their best basketball.

Yet they are still pulling away from teams like the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat late in games.  That’s all because of Mr. Tatum and his ability to put games away with his ability to get big hoops.  With that the Boston Celtics have been punching back after taking the opposing team’s best shot.  That’s an MVP mentality, it’s a championship mentality.

"“I’ve said it a million times and I’ll say it a million more times that all I’m concerned about is getting back to the championship and getting over that hump,” Tatum said. “And they kind of go hand-in-hand, right. If we get back to the championship and we’re one of the best teams, that means I’m probably playing at a high level and everybody else as well. All the individual accolades will come like they did last season for all the guys. Not necessarily MVP mindset, but just compete. Be the best I can be. Try to add value to winning every night. Going out there and doing what I do.”"

That’s what Celtics fans like to hear.  What they like to see is Tatum putting on a clinic every night with the chants of M-V-P echoing in NBA arenas around the league.