3. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Last week: 10th (↑ 7)
It seems Boston Celtics rookie forward Jayson Tatum has broken out of his brief rookie slump. The All-Star Break looked to be a good time for Tatum to refocus.
After three straight losses before the break, the Celtics have won two games in a row. On the back end, Tatum’s contributions have been part of their newest streak. Tatum put up 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting (2-of-3 from 3-point land) in Boston’s 110-98 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Friday night.
On Saturday night, he filled up the stat sheet in the Celtics’ 121-112 victory over the New York Knicks. He had 11 points, five rebounds, four assists, four steals and a block to give Boston their 42nd victory of the season.
The Celtics are 42-19 currently and control their own destiny for the first seed in the East. If they can keep Tatum playing at a high level both ways, they could be the team to beat soon enough. In the process, Tatum could also find himself in talks for the Rookie of the Year award.