Boston Celtics: 3 candidates for a breakout season in 2018-19
By Kane Pitman
1. Jayson Tatum
You could be easily forgiven for thinking that Jayson Tatum has already broken out after his stellar postseason play, but the hype train is reaching uncontrollable speeds — and that may just be for good reason.
The third-place finisher in last season’s Rookie of the Year voting, Tatum averaged 13.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game during the regular season.
Impressive numbers for the teenager, but you have to believe he would have just about stolen the award if postseason play was part of the criteria.
In a simply absurd 19-game playoff outburst, he upped his scoring to 18.5 points an outing, breaking all kinds of records in the process. Through his debut playoff run, some of the marks Tatum eclipsed are as follows:
- A Celtics rookie record of seven straight 20-point outings in the playoffs
- First rookie ever to have multiple 20-point Game 7s in the playoffs
- Joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only rookies in NBA history to post 10 20-point games in the postseason
It was a staggering run from the rookie, and it has now firmly planted his name among the leagues most prodigious young talents.
While he will need to adjust to a new role next to the returning Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, Tatum still projects to significantly improve on his regular season output from a year ago.
In a culmination of his comfort level rising alongside the reoccurrence of Irving’s knee complaints, Tatum exploded in March last season to average 16.8 points and would never look back.
With confidence levels at an all time high and some tutelage from Kobe Bryant, you can expect the former No. 3 overall to continue his ascension in 2018-19.
Disregard his Most Improved Player chances at your peril.