Brian Scalabrine joins Amina Smith and Eddie House to break down Jayson Tatum’s case to win the NBA’s MVP award and explains why the thinks the Celtics All-Star is going to win it this year.
Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum has flirted with NBA MVP candidacy over the last few years. Is this the season he takes that next step?
Entering Friday night, Tatum ranks third among his NBA peers with +600 odds to win the 2022-23 MVP award. Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo (+225) leads the pack and is followed by Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (+260), Tatum, Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (+1200), and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (+1200).
Tomase: Has Tatum risen past Jokic in NBA hierarchy?
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We're only 11 games into the season, but our Brian Scalabrine has seen enough to believe Tatum will still be in the MVP conversation next summer. In fact, he believes the 24-year-old should be listed as the odds-on favorite to take home the hardware.
"When you look at that list, you can point to every single one of the players has a weakness," Scalabrine said Friday on Celtics Pregame Live. "It could be defense. It could be shooting with Giannis. Everybody has something except for Jayson Tatum. He is as complete as anybody on that list that you brought up. He can go inside, outside. He can handle pick and roll. He can make people better around him. He can defend. He can rebound. A little bit of rim protection we've seen this year.
"So I think -- like, this is my personal opinion at this point -- I think that he's going to win it. But also, you've got to not get hurt. Your Celtics team's gotta win. You've got to have probably, in my opinion, the best record in the NBA. So I look at all that, I see some weaknesses -- not a lot -- in some other players. But Jayson Tatum right now in my mind should be the favorite to win this thing."
It's hard to argue with Scal's assessment. Tatum has averaged 31.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists while shooting 49.8 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from 3-point range so far this season. He has made a concerted effort to drive to the basket rather than settling for contested jumpers. That has paid off as he has a career-high 8.7 free-throw attempts per game.
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As Scal states, the Celtics will need to duplicate last season's success in order for Tatum to earn MVP consideration. They're on the right track as they enter Friday with an 8-3 record and a five-game win streak.