Boston Celtics: Midseason Rookie of the Year look at Jayson Tatum

Now that all teams have made it to midseason, here’s a look at the Boston Celtics rookie Jayson Tatum and where he stands for the Rookie of the Year award.

Jayson Tatum has played great so far this season for the Boston Celtics. However, much like him, there are plenty other rookies who have played just as well, if not better. The top players who are in contention for the Rookie of the Year award are Tatum, Ben Simmons, Kyle Kuzma, Donovan Mitchell, Lauri Markkanen, and Dennis Smith Jr.

No disrespect to how good Smith Jr., Markkanen and Kuzma have been playing this season, but right now it appears it will be between Mitchell, Tatum, and Simmons. I know a lot of Celtics fans won’t like to hear this, but as of now, Tatum is not the Rookie of the Year. So far, Simmons is the most deserving, and after that, Mitchell.

Here is a look at all three of these players’ statistics:

1. Ben Simmons:  16.9 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 7.3 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 51.3 FG%, 0 3P%
2. Donovan Mitchell:  18.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 43.8 FG%, 35.2 3P%
3. Jayson Tatum:  13.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 49.9 FG%, 45.9 3P%

Looking at these stats, it’s clear as day that Tatum’s numbers are not as good as the other two players. In fact, he’s sixth in the league among all rookies in scoring. Of course, there’s more to go into that than just the raw numbers. A lot of the rookie players are the main scorers on their respective team. In Tatum’s case, it’s hard for him to score as much knowing that there are a lot of options on the Celtics roster.

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Going back to the core three guys, replacing Simmons and Mitchell from their team would result in the biggest loss. The Utah Jazz have been without their star player Rudy Gobert for the majority of the season. Beyond him, there really isn’t much firepower on their roster. Mitchell is easily the best offensive player on the team, and for a Jazz side that lacks the offensive push, Mitchell provides them with the needed boost to stay semi-afloat.

Then there’s Simmons, who by all means is having a fantastic year. His stats are incredible, as he is averaging numbers that are close to a triple-double. He’s averaging a line that’s close to 17-8-7, not to mention he’s recorded 18 double-doubles, and four triple-doubles.

Without Simmons, the Sixers are still talented, but they are not anything near what they would be without him. There’s no doubt that he is playing off the charts. It’s not even close to who should be winning ROY, and that is of course Simmons.

Let’s not take away from some of the incredible things Tatum has done this season. He’s second in the entire NBA in 3-point percentage, only behind Nikola Mirotic, who has only played 17 games. He’s even 14th in the league in win shares, as he’s been a huge part to the Celtics’ success.

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Tatum is good, but he’s not the most deserving of the award. This rookie class is one of the best we’ve seen in a long time. If it were any other year, I think he would have a great chance at winning the award.