During the 2019-2020 Boston Celtics campaign we saw Jayson Tatum take tremendous strides in becoming an elite NBA player. Might the next step be processing into an MVP candidate?
Jayson Tatum managed to best his career averages in every offensive category in 2019-20 with the Boston Celtics, all while having the sixth-best defensive rating in the league during the regular season. Through 66 games, the 22-year-old posted tremendous averages of 23.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and just shy of a block per game on 45 percent shooting from the floor and 40 percent shooting from deep.
Behind these numbers, the wing earned himself his first All-Star appearance as an Eastern Conference reserve and was also named to the All-NBA Second Team by season’s end.
In short, the man had a fantastic year.
There was a time during the month of February, and even into the early parts of March where Tatum was the talk of the NBA. He averaged 30.1 points on 49 percent shooting from the floor and 48 percent shooting from behind the arc during the second month of 2020.
During this time it had me thinking to myself, “could Jayson Tatum continue this type of player for a full season and, if so, could it be enough for him to win an NBA MVP at some point during his career?”
My answer to that is an emphatic YES!
Let’s take a look at 3 things that need to happen for the rising superstar to be deemed league MVP as early as next season: