We saw the Boston Celtics improve to 3-1 this season last night, defeating the Brooklyn Nets in overtime 125-124 on the second night of a back-to-back. Boston had the chance to win it in regulation, but Nets rookie Mikel Brown Jr. hit a three with seconds remaining to force overtime. Like the Celtics, Brooklyn had a chance to win, up two with six seconds left, but Brown forced a layup they didn't need, allowing Jayson Tatum to hit the game-winning shot.
To start the season, Tatum had a poor shooting performance against the Detroit Pistons. In the following three games, the St. Louis native has showcased why he's one of the best players in the NBA. He's currently averaging 28 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, and one steal per game.
While it's still very early in the NBA season, Tatum is making a strong case to be considered for the MVP award.
Jayson Tatum has leveled up for the Celtics so far
Heading into the season, everything was aligning for Tatum to have the best season of his career. With Boston trading away Jaylen Brown in the offseason, the Duke alum was going to be the undisputed number one option for the Celtics, and so far, I'd say he's showing why their front office had this much faith in him.
Yes, that game against the Pistons wasn't great, but since then he has led the way in defeating the reigning NBA champion New York Knicks (36 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists). He followed it up by making quick work of the Chicago Bulls (23 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists in 28 minutes). His highest-scoring game came against the Nets, dropping 40 points, five rebounds, and eight assists, while not recording a turnover.
Currently, Tatum is leading the Celtics in points, rebounds, and assists. His 8 assists per game would be the highest average of his career, two assists per game higher than his previous career high (6 assists per game in the 2024-25 season). The biggest area of growth for Tatum has been his playmaking.
We've seen how well Tatum has been distributing, given his career-high assists, but also how he's limited his number of turnovers. Through the four games, Tatum has seven turnovers on the season to 32 assists, giving him a 4.6 AST/TO (assist-to-turnover ratio). What's been great about watching Tatum to start the season is that he still has another level to his game that he has yet to reach.
Jayson Tatum still needs to improve his efficiency, but he's been great
One area of improvement for Tatum is his early-season efficiency. So far, he is shooting 43% from the field and 24.1% from three. While his field goal percentage has been better since the Pistons game, his three-point shooting still needs to improve.
On the season, Tatum is 7-for-29 from three, and he'll need to be better as the season progresses.
Is it a foregone conclusion that Tatum should be the MVP favorite? No. Boston has only played four games, and it's a long season. Who knows what could happen in the remaining 78 games that the Celtics will play, but if Tatum can keep up his play and lead them to a successful season, then his name will be in the MVP conversation when the NBA season concludes.
Tatum will get his next chance to expand his MVP case when Boston hosts the Chicago Bulls and begins its Emirates NBA Cup group play.
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