As it might be for Boston Celtics starting big man Robert Williams III for the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award, it might be a little too soon in the career of Celtics All-Star forward Jayson Tatum to be a serious contender for the NBA’s 2022 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
But it is not out of the question that either of the two could win such a heady honor even this season, with many analysts seeing both in the running to take home some of the league’s most coveted hardware this season. And in the case of the St. Louis native, Tatum is already knocking on the door of the true contenders for this season’s MVP.
Such is the case with Bryan Kalbrosky of our sister site HoopsHype ranking Tatum sixth overall in the race based on an analytics-based assessment.
“For this survey, each impact metric was included because it was considered among the most trustworthy by NBA executives when asked by HoopsHype during this past offseason,” writes Kalbrosky.
“As with the official vote, the top player received 10 points, the second received seven points, the third received five points, the fourth received three points, and the fifth player received one point.”
“If a player finished outside of the Top 5, they didn’t receive any votes from that measurement,” he relates.
Tatum’s peers based on this assessment? A veritable who’s who of the top talent in the league, unsurprisingly: Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler, Jarrett Allen, Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell, Devin Booker, and Ja Morant.
And while JT does not get the top slot or even in striking range of it at sixth overall (that honor currently is held by Denver Nuggets superstar center Nikola Jokic), he does find himself ranked just ahead of perennial G.O.A.T. candidate LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers — no small feat.
Trailing veteran Phoenix Suns point god Chris Paul, the Duke product is in truly elite company and on the cusp of breaking through to be among their leaders.
Story continues
“Don’t look now but Boston’s Jayson Tatum is leading the Celtics to a wildly hot stretch of late,” writes the H/H analyst. “As his team continues to play well, Tatum’s excellence has become one of the more underrated stories of the season.”
“He currently ranks third-best in both RAPTOR and RAPM,” adds Kalbrosky.
Could another late-season surge mirroring the revitalized play of his previously moribund team elevate the 23-year-old star into the thick of the fray for the award?
He’d truly have to find another gear in terms of making his teammates better for it to happen, but there’s been signs he is sharpening that particular skillset with intent, so don’t be surprised by the unlikely taking shape with some hard work from Tatum as the stretch run unfolds.
This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
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