Jayson Tatum has quickly become the Boston Celtics best and most important player.
Tatum displayed his full offensive arsenal once more Sunday in the Celtics’ loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, tying a season-high 41 points and shooting 60% from the field.
With the performance, Tatum etched his name into Celtics history and surpassed one of the franchise’s greats.
According to Justin Kubatko of Stat Muse, Tatum is the youngest player in Celtics history to average 30 or more points a game in an eight-game span. Tatum surpassed Paul Pierce to accomplish the feat, and the third-year forward is averaging 30.3 points in the past eight games.
Jayson Tatum is averaging 30.3 PPG over his last eight games.
He is the youngest player in @celtics history to average 30+ PPG over an eight-game span, surpassing Paul Pierce. pic.twitter.com/0V6oqst5Dn
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) February 23, 2020
Tatum is having the best season of his career. A first-time All-Star this season, he’s averaging 22.9 points per game and is cementing a spot as one of the most skilled forwards in the league.
The month of February has been particularly successful for Tatum and the Celtics. Tatum is averaging 29.7 points per game in February, ranking eighth in the league for points per game this month. The Celtics currently rank third in the Eastern Conference and are 7-2 in February.
With Tatum having a breakout season, his ability to score in multiple ways gives the Celtics a chance to come out of the East, which is ruled by the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Celtics will play the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center on Tuesday to continue their four-game road trip.
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