What Are the Odds That Jayson Tatum Can Win the NBA MVP Award?
Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics put on an absolute show last night to start the NBA season. Despite the Knicks acquiring multiple pieces throughout the offseason to try and compete with the Celtics, they completely failed in their first crack against the Celtics losing 132-109. The Celtics’ offense exploded in the victory as they tied the NBA record for most three-pointers made in a single game with 29 made three-pointers. With Tatum being at the forefront of the offense last night, what are his chances of winning the NBA’s MVP Award?
Tatum last night had 37 points, 10 assists, and four rebounds to open up the season for the Celtics. If he could continue this pace he could certainly win the MVP Award. However, the past few MVPs have been the undisputed centerpiece of their respective offenses, which Jayson Tatum isn’t. Therefore, it is unlikely that he will continue to have similar stats to the ones he had in his season opener night after night. This isn’t a criticism of Jayson Tatum, this is an acknowledgment that the Celtics have so many great players that it doesn’t make sense for Tatum to dominate the ball. On any given night the Celtics can have any of their starters score over 30 points which just proves how deep and dominant this team can be as they look to go back to the NBA Finals this year.
The MVP award is typically given to a player who has the best statistics as a result of them carrying an underwhelming supporting cast. Additionally, the NBA MVP award winner hasn’t also won the NBA Finals in the same year since 2016 when Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors won the Championship. Therefore, winning the MVP Award isn’t actually a sign of success for a team. This year, Jayson Tatum and the Celtics will prove once again that it takes a team to win consistently as they are likely to find themselves back in the NBA Finals as they continue to try and silence the critics.
