Celtics star Jayson Tatum making strong NBA MVP case early in season

Celtics star Jayson Tatum making strong NBA MVP case early in season originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The last Boston Celtics player to win the NBA MVP award was Larry Bird during the historic 1985-86 season. It was his third straight MVP win.

Will the Celtics’ MVP drought finally end this season?

It’s still too early to get a definitive picture, but Jayson Tatum is putting together a pretty strong case.

Tatum helped the Celtics erase a double-digit deficit Sunday in a 113-107 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on the road, which improved Boston’s record to 9-2. The superstar wing scored 31 points with 12 rebounds and six assists. Twelve of his points came in the fourth quarter.

Tatum is currently fourth in the league MVP odds (+550) at Fanatics Sportsbook. There are three players ahead of him, including Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (+450), Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+325) and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (+225).

Tatum leads the Celtics in points (30.5), rebounds (7.6), assists (5.0) and steals (1.6) per game this season. He’s one of only two players (the other is Jokic) in the league who are leading their team in all four stats on a per game basis.

The 26-year-old forward has had only one bad game (by his standards) so far this season. He scored 15 points on (6-for-16 shooting) against the Milwaukee Bucks on Oct. 28, but the C’s still won 119-108.

Tatum has eclipsed the 30-point mark in seven of 11 games, including each of the last three. He became the first player in Celtics history to average 30-plus points per game for a full season in 2022-23, and he’s on pace to do it again.

Tatum actually leads the league in points scored:

• 1. Jayson Tatum Celtics: 336 points

• 2. Nikola Jokic, Nuggets: 297

• 3. LaMelo Ball, Hornets: 294

• 4. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks: 284

• 5. Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves: 283

Jokic, who has won three of the last four MVP awards, is again going to be tough to beat out for this award. He’s currently putting together an absurd stat line, leading the Nuggets with 29.7 points, 13.7 rebounds, 11.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks per game, while also shooting 56.3 from the floor and 56.4 percent from 3-point range. Denver has a 7-3 record entering Monday.

Tatum’s resume is a strong one, though. He’s the best player on the league’s best team. And Tatum has been in the MVP mix before. He has finished top six in the voting three straight years.

• 2021-22: Sixth

• 2022-23: Fourth

• 2023-24: Sixth

This year’s MVP race is going to be a lot of fun. There are so many players likely to have a strong case. If Tatum continues to play at this level, he should at least be among the top contenders come April.