Jayson Tatum is an NBA star. There’s no doubting that.
The 3x NBA All-Star continues to evolve and improve his game every year in the league since being drafted out of Duke with the third overall pick by the Boston Celtics in the 2016 NBA Draft.
Over his five NBA seasons, Tatum has impressively elevated his game every year.
His scoring average in his rookie year of 13.9 ppg improved each year to 15.7, 23.4, 26.4 and 26.9, respectively.
His assists per game (apg) followed suit, rising from 1.6 to 2.1, 3.0, 4.3 and 4.4 per game.
Tatum’s total rebounding average (rpg) followed the same pattern as well.
But perhaps the two most impressive stats that attest to his evolving stardom are his shots and free throw attempts per game.
The former has grown from 10.4 to 20.6 per game, and the latter from 3.2 to 6.2 per game.
That means that Tatum is not only shooting more but he’s involved and contributing a lot more.
That also means his teammates are increasingly deferring to him and that the offense is geared more towards him and his talents.
And that means that Tatum has become the leader of the team and the face of the franchise.
This season, Tatum averaged 26.9 ppg, 4.4 apg and 8.0 rpb, all career highs.
In the Playoffs, Tatum continues to sizzle, pushing his scoring average to 28.8 ppg.
Against the Brooklyn Nets, Tatum outdueled Kevin Durant, averaging 29.5 ppg to Durant’s 26.3. He also shot better from the floor, including from three-point land.
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