After one year at Duke, Jayson Tatum was a proven lottery pick, taken third overall in the 2017 Draft.  It didn’t take long for Tatum to prove the Celtics correct in selecting him.

Blessed with incredible footwork and slick shooting, Tatum was an All-Rookie and an immediate starter, usually at Small Forward, and has there been a season thus far where we have not seen his game improve?  Tatum went to his first of what is currently four straight All-Stars in his third season (2019-20), which was when he netted his first 20-plus PPG year (23.4).  The year after, he raised that to over 26, and was now the unquestioned leader of the Celtics and an upper-echelon perfomer.  If there was any doubt of that, it was erased in 2022-22, where he took Boston to the NBA Finals (losing to Golden State) but captured the inaugural Eastern Conference FInals MVP.  He was also named a First Team All-Star.  Last season, Tatum broke 30 Points per Game, and was the league-leader in Points with 2,225.  He was again named a First Team All-NBA player.

 If Tatum remains with Boston for years to come, it is possible that a top-five rank on the most prestigious basketball franchise could come his way.