Hoops Habit
Fansided

The top 5 NBA MVP candidates through the quarter mark

By Donald Hamilton

NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports)
NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 6
Next
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Jayson Tatum (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images) /

2. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics- Coming off a disappointing NBA Finals showing against the Warriors in June, the Boston Celtics’ superstar forward Jayson Tatum took all the scrutiny and criticism of his play in last year’s Finals, learned from those mistakes, and elevated his game to another stratosphere this season.

Tatum is the leader of a Celtics team that has the best record in the NBA and sits atop the Eastern Conference at 21-7. He is averaging 29.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists, a steal, and a block per game. He has improved his shot selection and cleaned up clumsy turnovers that hovered over him in the Finals.

The Celtics currently have the best offensive rating in NBA history at 119.3 according to StatsMuse. They lead the league in points per game and points per 100 possessions. Tatum has been tremendous on both ends this season while also boasting a true shooting percentage of 60% and a usage rate of 32.6%.

From the classic “He’s only 19” joke that will forever live on throughout his career, to a true MVP candidate, Tatum continues to show why he’s one of the very best in the league as he has ascended every single year.