Jayson Tatum just became the first Boston Celtic to average 30 or more points in a season. Boston secured a 57-25 record with a win over the Atlanta Hawks 120-114. The Celtics were able to rest all their starters in a game that did not have any playoff implications. Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser stepped up, becoming only the 2nd Celtics duo ever to hit 7+ threes in a game.
The 2022-2023 season has been Jayson Tatum’s best to date. Every single season Tatum has improved his scoring this season, taking the leap from 26.9 to 30.1 points per game. In addition, Tatum has improved his averages in assists and rebounds every season with Boston.
Jayson Tatum Makes Boston Celtics History
Superstar on The Rise
For the last three seasons, Tatum averaged around 25 ppg. The leap he took this season puts him in an elite category for the best players the league has ever seen. Also, the efficiency did not dip even with the increase in production and usage this year. The 3x All-Star is looking for his first championship this season.
The Celtics have been able to rely heavily on Tatum since he entered the league. Jayson Tatum has played 64 games or more in every one of his six seasons in the NBA. Additionally, Boston has relied on his leadership and toughness to build a winning culture. Now that Tatum has a running mate in Jaylen Brown, it is time for the pair to step up to the plate in the playoffs and deliver championship number 18 to Boston.
In just his sixth season in the NBA, Jayson Tatum scored 2,225 points this season, the fifth-most in Celtics history. Larry Bird is the only other player to average 29+ points or more in a season. In the 1987-88 season, Larry Bird set a franchise record scoring 29.9 ppg which stood until Jayson Tatum’s 2022-23 campaign. Further, Tatum also set a new franchise record with the most 30-point games in a season, finishing with 42.
Job Not Finished
The Boston Celtics tasted championship basketball last season, falling to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. Now the main goal is to get back and win it all for the organization. Jayson Tatum has been laser-focused on avenging his subpar performance in the NBA Finals all year. Although he struggled, by no means was it an awful series.
Jayson Tatum averaged 21.5 ppg, 7.0 apg, and 6.8 rpg in the six games of the 2022 NBA Finals. However, Tatum did not take the leap in his career where he could dominate the game and will the Celtics to the championship. This took a toll on the Celtics, and they worked tirelessly over the offseason to improve to give themselves another shot.
In a press conference, Tatum was asked about the upcoming playoffs. Jayson Tatum responded, “And essentially, we worked all offseason, preseason, and had a great regular season … to get to this point, to get back to the playoffs.” Showing how much the Boston Celtics have been working to put themselves in a position to make another playoff run.
Surprising Celtics Record
Due to the history of the Boston Celtics franchise, Tatum being the first player to average 30+ points is shocking. The Celtics have been around since 1946 and have won 17 NBA Championships, but no player has ever done what Jayson Tatum did this season. Either way, Jayson Tatum had a historic year helping the Celtics to the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Boston Celtics have had players like Larry Bird, Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Paul Pierce, and Bob Cousy, to name a few. The list is lengthy for one of the most storied franchises in basketball. Jayson Tatum looks to become one of those Boston greats, but that does not happen without a championship.
New Coach Same Team
After the changing of the guard, now having Joe Mazulla leading Boston, the goal remained the same. Jayson Tatum did not allow his teammates to become complacent over the summer. Not just Tatum but Jaylen Brown also took the step to becoming a leader on the team leading by example and putting in the work.
The work done over the offseason has shown throughout the 2022-23 campaign. Boston is healthy and dangerous heading into the 2023 NBA Playoffs. There are a lot heftier expectations for this Celtics squad now that the fans know they can do it. Those high expectations have been understood by both the players and the coaching staff, who have embraced them.
The next time the Boston Celtics are in action will be for game one of round one in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Depending on how the Play-In Tournament shakes out will determine their next opponent.
