Tatum, who was chosen for his fifth All-Star game this season, is once again producing incredible numbers. The All-NBA forward has helped the Celtics to the best record in the league thus far, averaging 27 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 4.9 assists.
Tatum’s career-high assist totals are evidence of the selfless, team-first philosophy he and his teammates have been espousing throughout the season.
On March 7, in a 115-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets, Tatum recorded a game best of 15 points and eight assists. “It’s not upon me to hijack the game and make it about me and it’s a national TV game,” Tatum said in a post-game interview with the media. It was going well for other guys. Therefore, it’s okay if I occasionally need to be the facilitator or to stand in the corner.
Another area of growth has been Tatum’s play in the post. He is currently averaging 2.5 post-ups per game, the highest of his career. On those plays, he is averaging 1.14 points per possession, the third most efficient in the league among players with at least 2.5 post-ups per game.
Tatum appears to be receiving more attention for going into the paint and contributing more points because he has been playing the four position all season. Furthermore, Tatum reportedly gained about 12 pounds of muscle, which seems to be helping him in this area of his game.
The Celtics and Suns will battle each other once again on March 14. The Celtics, who are 51-14, are comfortably in first in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the 38-27 Suns sit in seventh place in a crowded Western Conference, just a half of a game above the Dallas Mavericks.
Speaking about the matchup, Devin Booker said “They’re a complete team. They’ve been really good in the past, too, but they play together well. They switch a lot of actions and they have the versatility of guys guarding one through five. That helps out a lot. It’ll be a good test for us. I’m looking forward to it.”
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