2017-18 NBA Rookie of the Year ladder: Week 23 power rankings

3. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Last rank: 3rd (↔)

The Boston Celtics and rookie Jayson Tatum are getting all they can handle from teams across the NBA, but he’s learning that it comes with the territory of being a good team.

Tatum is averaging 15.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game this month after seeing his scoring dip some in February. He’s still shooting 47 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from 3-point land this month, showing his consistency as a versatile scorer.

After taking a step back on defense, he’s back to his usual self in March as well. He’s generating a defensive rating of 102.8 along with a net rating of +7.0. It’s a long way off from the defensive rating of 95.4 he averaged back in January, but with the playoffs around the corner, he could very well flip the proverbial switch.

Since the All-Star Break, Tatum has put up a net rating of +10.2, up slightly from his average of +6.2 prior to the All-Star Break. Granted, it’s a smaller sample size, but it’s still worth mentioning.