Former Duke basketball player Jayson Tatum, who is in his sixth season with the Boston Celtics since becoming No. 3 overall in the 2017 NBA Draft, has spent three consecutive weeks at the top of the Kia MVP ladder this season.
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However, after missing a game last week for the Celtics (23-10), who still hold the league’s best record but have lost five of their last seven outings, Tatum fell two spots to No. 3 on Saturday. Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic each moved up one position to No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.
Meanwhile, Duke’s other top-10 basketball talent, New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, jumped one spot to No. 6 despite his team’s last two games due to the league COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
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On that note, it’s interesting that NBA.com’s Michael C. Wright suggested that Tatum’s slight drop was at least partly the result of his missed game last week:
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“Here’s the part where we tell Celtics fans not to worry because Tatum can get back to the No. 1 position as quickly as he fell to third. Tatum missed Sunday’s loss to Orlando by “personal reasons” and later it was reported that he skipped the game to celebrate the birthday of his son, Deuce. Kudos to 24-year-old Tatum for figuring out what’s most important…”
Wright went on to note that Jayson Tatum scored 41 points Wednesday night, but the performance ended in a 117-112 road loss to the Indiana Pacers.
Then Tatum scored 30 points in Friday night’s 121-109 road win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, marking his fourth straight game with 30 or more points. Now, the versatile and fluid point guard is averaging a career-high 30.5 points while adding 8.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game in 31 appearances this season.
Jayson Tatum has a chance to reassert his dominance in the MVP race when the Boston Celtics host none other than Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks (22-10) at 5 p.m. ET on Christmas Day (ABC and ESPN).
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