Jayson Tatum wins All-Star MVP, is regular season MVP next?
Tatum has been one of the best players in the NBA this season. After an All Star Game record, let’s see if he can win League MVP.
BOSTON — Despite starting the season as the front-runner for NBA MVP thanks to his tremendous performance and the success of his Boston Celtics, Jayson Tatum is now on the sidelines of this conversation. But after averaging a league-record 55 points and earning MVP honors in Sunday night’s All-Star game, Tatum has once again announced himself to voters and opponents.
In a Monday edition of the Locked On Sports Today podcast, Locked On Celtics podcast host John Karalis discussed how Tatum could flow into the MVP race as the NBA season progresses.
“It’s a hot spot from hell where you say 55 points in the All-Star Game, All-Star Game MVP, all it takes is one of those little things,” Karalis told host Peter Bukowski. “If Denver falls off a little bit, Philly can’t really catch up with the Celtics, and the Celtics keep running a little bit…then the narrative starts to build for Tatum.”
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Tatum appeared to be one of the few players aiming for the MVP trophy, named after his childhood hero, Kobe Bryant. It also helped that his head coach, Joe Mazzulla, led Team Giannis into the game and was able to capitalize on Tatum’s minutes a bit more than other players.
But as Tatum looks towards the end of the season and his chances of adding more valuable hardware to his trophy case, voters need to keep an eye on his trajectory and team success.
“Tatum just does it differently. He’s blossomed into the MVP nominee that he is,” Karalis said. “Tatum has slowly become a second top scorer on Kyrie Irving’s teams … and it’s only now that he and Jaylen Brown have really moved up into the number one and number two options.”
Tatum is averaging 30.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game this season, while Boston leads the East 42-17 at break.
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https://www.king5.com/article/sports/locked-on/lo-national/today-podcast/jayson-tatum-wins-all-star-mvp-regular-season-mvp-next-nba-mvp-boston-celtics-nba-all-star-game-2023-nba-finals-2023-boston-nba-celtics-news/535-6db96b91-3ce8-463c-9ee5-2489361f0052 Jayson Tatum wins All-Star MVP, is regular season MVP next?
