Celtics: 3 bold predictions post-All Star break

1. Jayson Tatum finishes top three in MVP voting

Jayson Tatum has been phenomenal for the Boston Celtics over the last month of the season. He is averaging 27.3 points per game over the team’s last 10 games. Also in those last 10,  he leads the team in blocks with 1.1 per contest. He is also top of the roster in +/-, with a rating of 8.0.

He has elevated his playing to be a great two-way player, as his statistics show. His defense was questionable before the season started, and he has silenced those doubts up to this point.

If those numbers continue, or even get better, he will at least be a name mentioned in the conversation, though.

To take it a step further, if the Celtics do only lose five games or close to there for the rest of the year, he can be launched into the top-3 conversation.

As of now, he sits fifth in the league in +/-, also at 8.0. While that isn’t the best statistic to measure success, it shows the team is simply better when he is on the court. Among the leaders in that stat are names like LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Being in company like that is evidence enough to suggest a possible MVP consideration.

As of NBA.com’s latest MVP ladder, Tatum sits at ninth. He can easily move past some of the players ahead of him, too. Among the candidates for him to push past: Damian Lillard, Anthony Davis, Jimmy Butler, Nikola Jokic.

Of course, team success is still a primary indicator for who should win the MVP award. Therefore, it’s important that Boston makes good on the first prediction, and passes Toronto and the Lakers in the NBA standings. If they can achieve that, Tatum can be a legitimate MVP finalist. In only his 3rd season, the league may not be ready to give him that honor.

More performances like the one against the Clippers, though, and fans around the world will nearly be forced into recognizing him as such.

Even if he doesn’t reach that level this season, it’s clear that his time is coming.