February was the month Jayson Tatum launched himself into the upper echelon of the NBA’s elite.
A first-time All-Star this season, Tatum has etched his name into Boston Celtics history, joining some of the franchise’s all-time greats. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Tatum is now the fifth player in team history to average 30 points a game in one month, with a minimum of 10 games played.
With Tatum achieving the milestone, he joined Larry Bird, Isaiah Thomas, Paul Pierce and the late John Havlicek as the only players to accomplish the feat.
According to NBA.com stats, Tatum scored 30.7 points per game in February. He is turning 22 years old on Tuesday, and as a third-year forward, his ceiling is still rising. This season he’s the Celtics’ leading scorer and is averaging a career-high 23.5 points per game.
Tatum played some of the best games of his young career in February. His performance against the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 13 was one of the best from a player this season. Tatum scored 39 points and shot 50% from the 3-point line to lead the Celtics to a 141-133 double overtime win.
With Tatum emerging as arguably the Celtics’ best player, he has the potential to lead them deep into the playoffs. The Celtics will play the Brooklyn Nets in Boston on Tuesday, with tip off set for 7:30 p.m.
