Boston Celtics: 3 takeaways from the month of October

1. Jayson Tatum’s breakout

The Celtics came away from the 2017 NBA Draft with what looks like highway robbery on the Philadelphia 76ers. Boston swapped picks with the Sixers, which highlighted a Markelle Fultz and Tatum draft. Unless something drastic happens, the Celtics came out on top.

He had a Rookie of the Year worthy season, but was unable to win the award because of the young talent he was competing against. Even without winning the award, Tatum has looked like a star in the making.

He had a good rookie season, and he’s having a good sophomore season so far too. In seven games, he’s averaged 16.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He’s increased his averages in each of those three categories from last year, though he really needs to be more efficient as he’s shooting 40.4 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from 3.

Even though the shots aren’t falling yet, Tatum has looked fantastic. He’s arguably been the team’s best player as well. He currently leads Boston in points and rebounds per game. Among players who have logged at least 15 minutes per game, he ranks fourth in defensive rating and third-best on the Celtics.

He’s playing both ways and has been huge reason the team has been able to win games.

If he continues this play, he may be the team’s go-to-scorer eventually. He has been this season and it doesn’t look like he will be slowing down anytime soon.

The Celtics’ first month hasn’t gone as well as many had hoped for despite starting 5-2. The defense and Tatum’s play have been the highlights of October. However, they will need to figure things out on offense if they want any chance at winning more games.