Celebrating Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum’s birthday by the numbers

Jayson Tatum turned 25 on March 2, reminding the Boston Celtics that their franchise player inches closer to his prime by the day.

Despite Friday’s shocking loss to the Nets, Celtics fans have plenty to celebrate when it comes to the birthday boy’s development into an NBA superstar.

The All-NBA forward has taken his game to a new level this season, elevating his shooting percentages from the field and free throw line. Posting career-high averages in points, rebounds, and assists, Tatum has firmly solidified himself as one of the faces of the NBA.

Since the Celtics drafted him in 2017, Tatum has spoiled Boston fans with his incredible growth as a player and a person. Tatum has all the makings of a hall-of-fame player, and his leadership and work ethic have made him beloved in Beantown.

In honor of Tatum’s 25th birthday, here are 25 reasons why the Celtics made one of their greatest decisions in franchise history by believing in a kid from St. Louis.

Jayson Tatum has highest shooting percentage in NBA history on shots to win or tie a game in the last 24 seconds of the fourth quarter*

Simply put, Jayson Tatum is as clutch as they come. In regular season games, Tatum has converted exactly 50 percent of these final-possession shots on 13-for-26 shooting. Including the playoffs, he shoots 15-for-29 (51.7 percent) in these situations.

*among 155 players who have attempted at least 25 such shots

Jayson Tatum has already recorded seven 50-point games in his career

Tatum’s scoring ability is undeniable. When the Duke product gets hot, teams rarely have an answer for him. He already has the most 50-point games in Celtics history, one of which came this season in a mid-January win over the Hornets. Tatum has also dropped two 50-pieces against good friend Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards, one of which came in the 2021 Play-In Tournament. That same year, he exploded for 50 points against the Brooklyn Nets in Game 3 of the first round. He was just 23 years old at the time.

Jayson Tatum has played more total minutes than anyone else in the league since he was drafted

Tatum is the true definition of an ironman. He has logged a whopping 17,260 minutes between the regular season and playoffs since he entered the league in the 2017-18 season. In that span of time, Tobias Harris ranks No. 2 in total minutes with more than 1,200 less than Tatum.

Jayson Tatum has logged the third-most playoff minutes in NBA history before the age of 25

Tatum passed Magic Johnson in playoff minutes before the age of 25 last postseason, ending up with 2,836 total minutes. Only Kobe Bryant and Tony Parker spent more time on the court in the playoffs before hitting the quarter-century mark. Tatum is truly on track to become one of the most durable players of all time.

Jayson Tatum has played the 4th-most playoff games ever before the age of 25

Not many players have encountered early postseason exposure the way Tatum has. His 74 playoff contests place him at No. 4 all-time among players under 25 in this category.

Jayson Tatum has the most regular season wins in Celtics history among players under 25, along with the 6th-most in NBA history among such players

Tatum turned 25 with an astonishing 273 regular season wins under his belt. Rajon Rondo came closest among Celtics with 227 wins before his 25th birthday.

Jayson Tatum owns the most playoff wins in Celtics history before the age of 25

Tatum’s 41 playoff wins put him at the top of this list, just ahead of second-ranked Rajon Rondo, who won 38 playoff games before turning 25. Tatum also holds the franchise record for the highest postseason scoring average before the age of 25. He has averaged 22.9 points per game in the playoffs since his rookie year.

Jayson Tatum is No. 8 in all-time playoff wins before the age of 25

Never mind his status as Boston’s best under-25 playoff performer. Tatum ranks 8th all-time in this category across the entire league. Tatum’s idol, Kobe Bryant, leads the way with a remarkable 63 playoff wins before his 25th birthday.

Jayson Tatum scored the 7th-most points in NBA history before the age of 25

Tatum scored 9,429 points before his 25th birthday, just passing Giannis Antetokounmpo by two points during his 41-point explosion against Cleveland last Wednesday.

Jayson Tatum ranks third in all-time playoff points (first among Celtics) before turning 25

Tatum only trails Lebron James and Kobe Bryant in this category. In 74 playoff games, Tatum has accumulated an incredible 1,693 points while winning 55.4 percent of those contests. No Celtics player has ever cracked 1,000 playoff points before the age of 25. Talk about a successful postseason career.

Jayson Tatum is No. 6 in all-time playoff assists before the age of 25

While he trails historical playmakers like Magic Johnson and Lebron James, Tatum still sits all the way up at No. 6 on the all-time assists list for players under 25. The most underrated facet of Tatum’s game may be his playmaking ability. His 325 career playoff assists illustrate his willingness to get his teammates involved. The lengthy wing dropped more dimes than anyone else last spring, dishing out a league-best 148 assists during the 2022 playoffs.

Jayson Tatum has the second-highest plus-minus in NBA history before the age of 25

From the moment he became a Boston Celtic, Tatum has impacted the game better than anyone could have imagined. Through his first six seasons in the league, Tatum has recorded a plus-minus of +2,386. Only Tony Parker beats him out among all-time players under 25 with a +2,554 mark.

Jayson Tatum is the only player in NBA history to drop 50 points in a regular season game, playoff game, and play-in game

This unique stat simply puts an exclamation point on the scorer Tatum has evolved into over the last six years. The four-time All-Star has put up a scoring clinic in high-pressure situations throughout his career.

Jayson Tatum has a 4-1 career record in Game 7s

In 2018, Tatum infamously dunked on Lebron James during a Game 7 loss in the Eastern Conference Finals, just two rounds after he had triumphed in his first-ever Game 7 against Milwaukee. Since then, the face of the Celtics has won three consecutive Game 7s. With Tatum at the helm, the Celts won back-to-back seven-game series last postseason against the Bucks and the Heat. He also led the Celtics past the 2020 Raptors in a seven-game second-round showdown. Tatum has led his team in scoring in two of these three “winner-take-all” contests.

Jayson Tatum shoots 47.1 percent from three in Game 7s

In three of his five Game 7s, Tatum has shot at least 50 percent from beyond the arc. When the series is on the line, Tatum goes from an above-average long-range shooter to a red-hot marksman. In all elimination games, Tatum still nails an impressive 40.2% of his treys.

Since he was drafted, Jayson Tatum has scored the second-most playoff points of anyone in the league

Giannis Antetokounmpo has scored the most playoff points since the 2017-18 season with 1,817 points. Tatum occupies the No. 2 spot with his 1,693 points, and he has played a league-high 2,836 minutes in the postseason during that time.

Jayson Tatum averaged the second-most points per game in Celtics history among players under 25

Only Paul Pierce averaged more points before his 25th birthday. ‘The Truth’ put up 22.6 points per game while Tatum has averaged 22.2.

Jayson Tatum ranks top-five all-time in total playoff rebounds before the age of 25

Up to this stage in their careers, only four players have ever grabbed more boards than Tatum in the postseason. Tatum has grabbed 503 rebounds in five postseason appearances, most notably averaging double-digit boards over a 17-game playoff run in 2020.

Jayson Tatum grabbed the most playoff boards in Celtics history before the age of 25

While he has not toppled Celtics legends like Bill Russell and Dave Cowens as the greatest rebounder in franchise history, Tatum has established himself as one of the most underrated rebounders out there. As he does on both ends of the floor, Tatum fights hard on a nightly basis when it comes to crashing the glass.

Jayson Tatum is the only player in NBA history to hit 1,000 3-pointers before his 25th birthday

In the modern-day NBA, it was only a matter of time before a player achieved this feat. Nonetheless, the Celtics are quite lucky to have that player on their team.

Jayson Tatum sank more free throws than any other Celtic had before turning 25

Often criticized for his lack of aggression and willingness to seek contact at the rim early in his career, Tatum took the criticism and used it as fuel. This season, the superstar has averaged a career-high 8.4 free throw attempts per game while sinking a total of 433 shots at the charity stripe. He had never made more than 400 free throws in a season, and the Celtics still have 18 more games to go. He passed Paul Pierce for the most free throws converted by a Celtic under the age of 25 earlier this season.

Jayson Tatum holds the all-time record for most points in an NBA All-Star Game

Following his 55-point explosion last month, Tatum was awarded for his historical performance with his first-ever All-Star MVP trophy. He shot 22/31 from the field and 10-for-18 from downtown.

Jayson Tatum racked up several accomplishments during his lone season at Duke

After averaging 16.8 points on 45.2 percent shooting from the field, Tatum ended his freshman season at Duke with a spot on the 2017 All-ACC Tournament 1st Team to go along with a 2016-17 All-ACC 3rd Team selection and an ACC All-Freshman Team selection.

There are two Jayson Tatum’s

That’s right. Deuce Tatum’s full name is Jayson “Deuce” Christopher Tatum Jr. and he probably loves his dad even more than we do.

Jayson Tatum is only 19

🙂