[autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] and the Boston Celtics still need to beat the Dallas Mavericks four times to win the NBA title, but through 14 playoff games, the former Duke basketball star is keeping some crazy company.
Tatum, through the first three rounds of the playoff, finished with 26.0 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. As ESPN’s Get Up pointed out on Tuesday morning, only four other players in NBA history reached the NBA Finals while averaging 25.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists, and they’re all surefire Hall of Famers.
The list includes Larry Bird and LeBron James, who both did so twice. Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo did so in 2021, and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic did so last season.
This stat line isn’t even particularly abnormal for Tatum. The 26-year-old averaged at least 25.0 points per game in each of the last five postseasons, he’s averaged at least 10.0 rebounds in three of the last five, and he’s averaged at least 5.0 assists in four of the last five.
Elite company for Jayson Tatum đŽâđ¨ pic.twitter.com/bpBHmHVTs4
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) June 4, 2024
It’s worth pointing out that in the six seasons listed for the above examples, the player listed won the Finals four teams. Bird and James both won one of their two trips, and Antetokounmpo and Jokic won their respective championships.