Jayson Tatum scored 20 pts in the 3rd quarter on his way tp 41 pts in the C’s XMas Day win
NBC Sports Boston's 2023 20 Under 25 voting wrapped up last week, and Boston Celtics fans will be pleased with the results.
Although the C's only have three representatives on this year's list, their superstar was voted the No. 1 Boston athlete under 25 years old for 2023. Two of the three eligible Celtics players cracked the top 10.
Here's our recap of the Celtics' 20 under 25 results. You can check out the full results here.
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Jayson Tatum earns top spot
No surprise here. After finishing second behind Mac Jones in 2022 with a 93.1 rating, Tatum overtook the New England Patriots quarterback for the No. 1 spot with a near-perfect 97.6 rating in 2023.
Tatum, 24, is coming off a 2021-22 NBA season in which he shook off his early struggles to lead the Celtics to the NBA Finals. Boston came up just short of Banner 18, but Tatum showed he'll belong in the NBA MVP conversation for years to come. He earned his third All-Star nod and finished the regular season with a career-high 26.9 points per game to go with 8.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists.
So far this season, Tatum has made his presence felt as arguably a top-five player in the league. He's averaging 30.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists while shooting 47.7 percent from the floor. As of Thursday, he's just ahead of Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo as the odds-on favorite to win the NBA MVP award.
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Tatum predictably won the top spot in the 2023 20 under 25 with ease. His rating was 12 points higher than the second-place finisher, Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson.
Grant Williams' stock rising at the right time
The ascension of Grant Williams is a big reason for the Celtics' success over the last two seasons. The 24-year-old has been a key contributor off the bench and a reliable starter when called upon. His improvement is reflected in our 2023 20 under 25 results.
Williams finished 20th in the voting with a 72.0 rating last year. This time around, he skyrocketed up the board to ninth place with a 74.8 rating.
In 77 games (21 starts) for the C's last season, Williams averaged 7.8 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 47.5 percent from the floor and 41.1 percent from beyond the arc -- both career-bests. Through 33 games (14 starts) this year, he's averaging 9.2 points and 4.7 rebounds with a 51.7 shooting percentage and 43.7 3-point percentage.
Williams has set himself up for a big payday as he's set to become a restricted free agent next summer.
The young core is growing up
Tatum, Williams, and 24-year-old guard Payton Pritchard are the only Celtics on the active roster who are under 25. Jaylen Brown turned 26 in October and Robert Williams III turned 25 one week earlier. The once-youthful C's are transitioning into grizzled vets before our eyes.
Pritchard rose from 23rd (71.7 rating) in 2022 to 20th (70.3) in 2023. The Oregon product has seen his playing time dip with the addition of Malcolm Brogdon, but he can still provide a spark off the bench with his shooting prowess.
The Celtics' only pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, second-rounder JD Davison, is 20 years old but is not on the 2023 20 under 25 list. The former Alabama guard is currently with the NBA G League Maine Celtics and has only appeared in three games for Boston this season.