If you are a basketball fan you have definately  heard of Jayson Tatum. He was selected in 2017 by the Boston Celtics as a small forward in the first round of the draft. He has been on the team for the past five years and 2021-2022 has been the best one yet. So far in the NBA season he has an average of 26.9 points, 4.4 assists, 8.2 rebounds per game according NBA statistics.

Jayson Tatum is from St. Louis Missouri. He went to Chaminade College Preparatory school for high school and went to Duke for college. He only played one year of basketball at Duke before getting drafted. Tatum is a three time All-Star and he had the opportunity to go play basketball in Tokyo for team USA in the summer 2020 Olympics. He now has a five year 163 million dollar deal, and many people feel as though it has made him overconfident.

 Sportscasting.com published an article trashing him for his confidence because his average points per game were on a steady decline back in November. While Tatum may be confident, he has shown he is confident for a reason. He has said to a reporter,  “I step on the floor, I think I’m the best player every night.” The best way to get better is to have the confidence to go for the shot no one else will, to know that you can do what you set your mind to. Now that the season is nearing the end it is safe to say Tatum pulled himself out of his rut.

Jayson Tatum has been a key part in the Celtics success. The Celtics have reached the East finals the first two of three years he has been on the team after not making it since 2017. Last year, the Celicts lost in the first round of the Eastern conference playoffs. Early on, Tatum was led by his senior teammates, and now he is leading the team. Tatum’s progression over the last five years has had him come from a rookie looking to find his place, to knowing how he has to run his position, and is more comfortable with his role and his leadership. His maturity in the game of basketball has grown immensely. Brown and Smart have been the leaders for the Celtics defensive players and have learned how to work best with Tatum. This year has been very promising, and is looking good for the playoffs due to their great communication.