No brainer: Jayson Tatum named Eastern Conference Player of the Month
BOSTON -- Fresh off an incredible 49-point performance in a Celtics win over the Miami Heat, Boston forward Jayson Tatum has been named the NBA's Eastern Conference Player of the Month. It was a pretty easy decision for the NBA, given the torrid start to the season for Tatum.
Technically, it's a Player of the Months award, since it's for both October and November. In his 21 games this far this season, Tatum's offense has been at another level, with the forward averaging 31.6 points off 49/37/87 shooting splits.
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum have been named the Kia NBA Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Month, respectively, for games played in October/November. pic.twitter.com/vpDyqv6pv9
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 1, 2022
Tatum is usually a slow starter, but that has not been the case in his sixth NBA season. He's off to his best start of his career, both offensively and defensively, and he's doing it just about every way possible. He's hitting threes and he's attacking the basket as well, leading to a career-high 8.6 free throw attempts per game.
He's also been a great facilitator, dishing out 4.5 assists per game. Add in his 7.8 rebounds -- not to mention his stellar defense -- and Tatum is off to an awe-inspiring start, helping the Celtics to an NBA-best 18-4 record.
Tatum continued his dominance of the NBA on Wednesday night with a 49-point, 11-rebound showing against the Heat. He hit eight threes in the win, becoming the first player in NBA history to have more than one game with 45 or more points, 10 or more rebounds, and eight or more made threes.
Tatum was determined to come back even stronger and better after last season's loss in the NBA Finals, and he's done just that to start the 2022-23 season. He's hearing MVP chants on a nightly basis, and now he has the second Player of the Month award of his career.