With three All-NBA First Team nominations, two Eastern Conference titles, and a Finals victory on his NBA resume now, former Duke basketball star Jayson Tatum is now one of The Ringer’s five best players in basketball.
Tatum scored 31 points and tacked on 11 assists during Monday night’s clinching victory over the Dallas Mavericks. He’s averaged at least 25.0 points per game in the postseason in each of the last five years, and he broke Kobe Bryant’s record for the most postseason points at age 26 or younger.
Last season, Tatum averaged 26.9 points (his fourth straight season with at least 26 points per game), 8.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game as Boston finished with a 64-18 record, the best in the NBA.
Four other Blue Devils worked their way inside the top 40 of the site’s rankings, and eight former Duke stars made the top 100 in total. Kyrie Irving (25th) and Dereck Lively II (97th) both faced off against Tatum in the Finals after helping the Mavericks to the Western Conference crown.
Zion Williamson (21st), Paolo Banchero (29th), Brandon Ingram (35th). Jalen Johnson (72nd), and RJ Barrett (99th) also appeared on the list.