Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum was among the notable young players that Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James has named as the future of the NBA. The timing certainly couldn’t be better since the pair was above the rest in February.
James and Tatum have been named NBA Players of the Month in their respective conferences, the league announced Tuesday:
Kia NBA players of the month for February! #KiaPOTM
Where is: @King James (@Lakers)
East: @ jaytatum0 (@celtics) pic.twitter.com/7deXVrQuSY– NBA (@NBA) March 3, 2020
There is no doubt that both players certainly deserved this honor given their efforts last month. It also helps solidify the impending torchlight transition that will someday happen between James and the next generation of NBA stars.
James has managed to make a big difference since the start of the new year. He averaged 26.0 points on 49.7% of shots from the field while managing 8.1 rebounds and 10.1 assists per game. Most importantly, he led the Lakers to a 9-2 record in February to maintain their status at the top of the Western Conference.
James finds himself in familiar territory after becoming the first player since the end of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant to win the award in consecutive months. He also set a record with his 40th monthly award in the process.
Meanwhile, Tatum continues to add to this brilliant 2019-2020 NBA season after winning the honor the same month he played his first career star game. The 22-year-old had 30.7 points on 49.4 shots for 7.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 interceptions and 1.3 blocked shots per game last month.
Tatum’s efforts paved the way for a 9-3 record during this period to effectively help Boston raise the Eastern conference standings. It is safe to say that this will be the first among many for the aspiring superstar.
