Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
When the Boston Celtics lost Kyrie Irving in free agency to the Brooklyn Nets during the offseason, I’m not sure if many fans expected the team to be a top 3 team in the Eastern Conference. Nevertheless, even after losing Kyrie, it almost seems as if the Celtics got better. Addition by subtraction, if you will.
While Kemba Walker was a big part of their overall success this season, Jayson Tatum‘s continued development was also a big piece to their rise. With every passing month, Tatum was getting better and better. It crescendoed with a month of February in which he was averaging 31 points, eight rebounds, and three assists per game on 49 percent shooting from the field and 48 percent shooting from 3-point range.
It’s a shame the season had to hit the pause button because I was very interested to see if Tatum’s continued rise was just a hot streak or actual development. The early returns were positive, though.
There’s a belief in the NBA that suggests that if a player doesn’t break out by their third season, they aren’t going to. In his third season, Tatum looked like an absolute superstar.