Jayson Tatum

On 53 different occasions during their runaway win over the L.A. Clippers, the Boston Celtics elected to raise up from deep, testing their accuracy from beyond the arc. Though, in pouring in highlights and points at a seemingly-record pace, their night’s most demonstrative message may have occurred right at the rim. Isolated along the far-left corner, Jayson Tatum surveys the scene from a triple-threat position, selling a drive towards the middle with enough conviction to pivot promptly into a slippery spin move back baseline. Having officially crossed Kobe Brown off of the list of defenders impeding his path, the soon-to-be All-NBA First Team forward focuses in on challenger No. 2, taking one step into the paint before stretching out to deliver a ferocious one-handed facial over Daniel Theis. In leading a showcase that saw Boston drain 25 3-pointers, Tatum shook off a rolled ankle to help the Celtics’ offense maintain its pristine flow, following a 144-point performance in the game prior with 145 on December 23, 2023. Dazzling enough in his early-game work to spectate the fourth quarter’s entirety from the sidelines, Tatum needed only 30 minutes to produce an efficient 30-point, four-rebound, one-steal performance, alongside five triples.

Championship Year