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:
What must happen for a Jayson Tatum MVP No. 1) Greater individual success
Statistics have always been a constant in winning the NBA’s MVP award. Whether it be Russell Westbrook’s famous triple-double season in 2016-2017, or Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden putting up big scoring-numbers during their respective award-winning campaigns, at the end of the day individual statistics play a massive role in the voting outcome.
Jayson Tatum is once again going to have to improve upon his offensive statistics come next season.
The Boston Celtics star needs to average between 25-30 points a game all while still getting better as a rebounder and facilitator.
He started showing flashes of this during this year’s postseason run where he averaged 26 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists a game. All these were improvements from his regular-season numbers.
Individually, if Tatum can keep up that type of pace and those numbers throughout an entire 82 game season he will have the type of offensive production that we have seen from recent league MVPs.
What must happen for a Jayson Tatum MVP No. 2) Greater team success
Team success in MVP voting isn’t the end all be all, but it can, however, be the difference sometimes between winning or losing the prestigious award.
For example, let’s take a player like Luka Doncic this past season. The young superstar from the Dallas Mavericks arguably had the best statistical season of any player in 2019-2020.
He nearly averaged a triple-double, but as a team, the Mavericks finished as the seventh seed in the Western Conference standings.
The top-two players in MVP voting were Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James which, frankly, was deserving. Statistically, they had great seasons, but what also set them apart from other candidates was that they were able to help the Bucks and the Lakers finish first in their respective conferences.
Coincidence? I think not.
Jayson Tatum would without a doubt have to lead the Boston Celtics to the top seed in the Eastern Conference and, potentially, the best record in the NBA. It is going to be very tough to have the best statistical season next year given how talented the rest of the top tier players in the NBA are.
Tatum will have to keep pace in the stats category while at the same time making sure the shamrocks as a team are thriving and winning at a high rate.
What must happen for a Jayson Tatum MVP No. 3) Become the clear-cut leader
Every NBA MVP during their respective award-winning seasons all have the same thing in common: they are without a doubt the best player on their individual squads. Night in and night out, game after game they bring the intensity and play at the highest level.
In my opinion, Jayson Tatum is easily the best player on the Boston Celtics. Now, some fans might disagree with me and, honestly, I do not find that shocking. So many times during the season we saw different players assert themselves and step up in games.
Now, it’s ok to have a sidekick. For every Batman, there has to be a Robin. That said, in order to become league MVP you need to be a Batman and assert yourself as the alpha each and every game.
Tatum has had plenty of games throughout the 2019-20 campaign where he has disappeared and just has not played up to his potential.
The young stud has the skill set and the potential to win multiple league MVPs. The sooner he accomplishes these 3 things, the sooner it could happen.
Might as well start next season, right JT?