Celtics’ Jayson Tatum cracks ESPN’s top 10 players for 2022-23 NBA rank

What is the rationale behind placing Tatum in such elite company?

According to the folks at ESPN, star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is ranked as the No. 7 player in the league according to the 2022-23 season’s NBA ranking exercise conducted ahead of each season by the popular sports outlet.

“Coming off his first All-NBA appearance, winning the Eastern Conference finals MVP, making his first trip to the NBA Finals, and playing for a team that is projected to contend for the league’s best record, Tatum is primed to make yet another leap entering his sixth season,” begins ESPN analyst Tim Bontemps in his discussion of why the St. Louis native is ranked so highly heading into next season.

Let’s dive into the meat of the rationale behind Tatum’s top 10 breakthrough.