Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum was named the No. 2 young player to build around in HoopsHype‘s poll of 17 league executives for the second consecutive season.
Tatum received 35.9% of all possible points on the ballot, the second-most of any player listed. The Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic held the top spot for the second straight season, earning the No. 1 spot on all but one ballot.
Tatum earned 64% of possible points in last year’s poll but slipped in support with his slide in production. He shares the top five with four point guards: Doncic, Ja Morant, LaMelo Ball and Trae Young. Both Ball and Young jumped into the top five after not being ranked last season.
While Tatum’s rebounding has improved, his shooting efficiency and scoring have taken a hit this season compared to his stellar 2020-21 campaign. Both his field goal percentage and 3-point shooting percentage are down by more than 25 points this year. Despite the decline in production, he is still leading the team in scoring at age 23.
This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
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