Jayson Tatum, superstar forward of the Boston Celtics, made his third All-Star selection as revealed on TV by the NBA on TNT crew. While things haven’t been as smooth as Celtics fans and the team alike would prefer, Tatum has still come through for this team, including the post-November resurgence that we’ve come to expect.
Jaylen Brown missed 10 games due to a hamstring problem, which likely impacted his chances to make the team. Additionally, for a team that’s sitting in ninth place in the Eastern Conference as of the day of selection, there’s no way the team would be able to grab two All-Star nods.
As it stands, the Eastern Conference All-Star starters consist of Trae Young, DeMar DeRozan, Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetounmpo, and Kevin Durant. Joining Jayson Tatum off the bench are Fred VanVleet (fourth undrafted All-Star ever), Zach LaVine, James Harden, Jimmy Butler, Khris Middleton, and Darius Garland.
Kevin Durant will sit out the All-Star game due to a knee injury that’s led to his absence (and Brooklyn’s recent slide), so Jayson Tatum, the top vote earner in the East frontcourt not named to the starting lineup, will start the game in his place. LeBron James and Kevin Durant will draft their All-Star teams at a later date.
This season, Jayson Tatum is averaging 25.9 points, a career-high 8.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists on shooting splits of 43/33/85%. The Celtics sit at 28-25 with a favorable schedule coming up leading to the Trade Deadline next week.
Tatum will suit up for either Team Durant or Team LeBron on February 20th, 2022 in Cleveland.
