It's no secret that Jayson Tatum had a season to remember last year. Under the watchful eye of Ime Udoka, Tatum had another monster season in which he scored a career-high of 26.9 points per game. Given how the first half of the 2021-2022 season went, few could imagine the Celtics going on a deep run. After finishing the 2020-2021 season with a 36-36 record, the Celtics got off to a 14-14 start last season. This prompted talks of whether the Celtics should break up the dynamic duo of Jayson Tatum and Jayson Brown.

Along with the help of some free-agent pickups, the Celtics would change that narrative with Jayson Tatum leading the charge. The team finished 51-31.
Jayson Tatum led his team on a grueling run through the Eastern Conference. He was magnificent against Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets. Then he led his team past the other-worldly Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Finally, Tatum led the Celtics past Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat.

However, Jayson Tatum would run into a problem known as the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. Tatum was limited to 21.5 points per game and only shot 36% for the series. It was also well-documented that some controversy landed Ime Udoka in a lot of hot water. As a result, Joe Mazzulla became the interim head coach. Certainly, the disappointment of coming so close in last year's finals, combined with the franchise's unwanted controversy involving Udoka, could make a player bitter or better.

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Based on Tatum's performance this season, he has chosen to use both instances as fuel. Tatum is hungry for another run at the championship. It has shown in its play. In 19 games, Jayson Tatum is averaging a career-high 30.5 ppg. He has a career-high 47.7% from the field. The most significant growth in his game this season has been his work within the paint area.Jayson Tatum has made a concerted effort to be aggressive as far as getting to the paint is concerned.

This has led to more trips to the free-throw line. Tatum is averaging a career-high 8.6 free throw attempts. Additionally, his field goal percentage inside the restricted area is 75%. Jayson Tatum is also getting it done on the defensive end when it comes to blocks. He has a career-high of 1.2 blocks per game.
Expect Jayson Tatum to be in the MVP conversation for the duration of this season.

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