Celtics Star Forward Jayson Tatum Opens Up About Being MVP Front Runner

The young Boston star is getting some serious recognition

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Celtics have been the best team in basketball so far this season. 

Many pegged the Celtics as a team to look out for this campaign after making a run all the way to the NBA Finals last season and improving in the offseason by acquiring Malcolm Brogdon, but no one necessarily expected them to be this good this fast.

The biggest reason for this is the fact that Boston hasn't had Robert Williams available for a game yet. The big man has missed the start of the season as he has been recovering from offseason knee surgery, but he's expected to hit the court very soon. 

Boston has the best record in the NBA at 20-5 and has been an offensive juggernaut. The squad's defense hasn't been as great, but they are scoring the ball at a historic rate. The defense will come as Williams returns to the lineup, but one of the biggest reasons for the team's success this season certainly is the play of young star Jayson Tatum. 

Tatum is in the middle of the best season of his career. The 24-year-old is averaging career-highs with 30.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Tatum also is chipping in 4.2 assists per contest and has been scoring at an unbelievably efficient rate. 

His play has been so impressive, that now many in the league see him as the front-runner to take home this season's Most Valuable Player award. He even sat atop the most recent MVP ladder released by the league. 

After the Celtics took down the Toronto Raptors on Monday night, Tatum opened up about how it feels to be in the conversation for the huge award. 

"It's really like an honor," Tatum said as seen on NBC Sports Boston. "It's kind of surreal living out your dreams in reality. Being in the conversation is something you dream about as a kid. For people to acknowledge and recognize that you are leading or are in the running for MVP. I don't take that lightly. It's not something I would brush over or get used to. I've got to pinch myself sometimes." 

Tatum certainly deserves to be in the conversation and if the Celtics continue to play at the rate they have -- and they've shown no signs of slowing down -- when the regular season comes to a close, the league's biggest award may be Tatum's to lose. 

Further Reading

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Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Raptors: Increased Energy and Better Ball Security the Difference-Makers in Second Half Surge

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