Jayson Tatum is already receiving some early MVP consideration.
In his first MVP ladder of the 2026-27 season, NBA.com’s Shaun Powell ranked the Boston Celtics star fifth behind Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Maxey.
“Most, if not all, of the fears about Tatum here in his first full season following an Achilles injury have subsided,” Powell wrote. “The more distance he puts between that and now, the better for the Celtics, who are down a star after Jaylen Brown’s trade to Philly.
“Yet Tatum is showing he can carry the load, at least so far. He’s averaging 35 minutes a night, including a pair of back-to-back games for the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week.”
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Tatum has bounced back in a big way since scoring just 13 points in Boston’s season-opening loss to the Detroit Pistons. He’s now averaging 27.0 points, a career-high 7.9 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 0.7 steals per game while shooting 41.8 percent from the field.
Tatum has already recorded three 30-point games, including a 40-point outing against the Brooklyn Nets that ended with him hitting a game-winning buzzer-beater in overtime.
His strong start also earned him Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors for Week 2 of the season. He beat out Giannis Antetokounmpo, Scottie Barnes, Evan Mobley and Maxey for the recognition.
Tatum’s production has helped the Celtics get off to a 6-2 start, tying them with the Detroit Pistons for the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.
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