Duke basketball product preserves MVP standing with big night
If not for Jayson Tatum's triple-double in the Boston Celtics' 124-95 road win over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, the 2016-17 Duke basketball one-and-done probably would have slid in the updated Kia MVP Ladder that came out on Friday.
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But thanks to his performance against the Mavericks (22-17) and their MVP candidate, Luka Doncic (now No. 4 in the race), Tatum remains at No. 2 behind the reigning two-time MVP in Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.
Tatum's 29 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists in Dallas marked only the second triple-double of his career and his first this season, helping ensure the Celtics (27-12) snapped a two-game losing skid to retain the NBA's best record. The 24-year-old forward added two blocks and one steal in his 35 minutes on the floor.
He's now averaging career-highs with 30.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. And his 4.2 assists per game are only 0.2 dimes shy of his best mark in this department from last season.
While Jayson Tatum has the best shot at becoming the first Duke basketball product to win an NBA MVP, he's not the only Blue Devil among the top 10 on the ladder in this latest edition.
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The other is New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson at No. 10. That said, he has dropped four spots in the past three weeks and is now out at least three weeks with a right hamstring strain, meaning he's likely to fall out of the top 10 next week.
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