Jayson Tatum has officially put the slow-start narrative to bed. He’s tucked it in, shut off the light, and closed the door on it because this season, he's off to the best start in Celtics history.
The All-NBA wing began the week Tuesday with 35 points in a 126-117 season-opening win against Philadelphia. He then dropped in 29 points in a 111-104 victory Friday night in Miami. Finally, he erupted for 40 points in a 126-120 win Saturday night in Orlando, marking his 15th career 40-point effort.
Historically, Tatum has taken some time to warm up at the start of a season. This season, his start has been so hot that it's historic.
With 104 total points, Tatum now holds the franchise record for most points scored through the first three games of a season. He soared past Larry Bird’s previous franchise-best mark of 96 points through the first three games of the 1984-85 season – a season that ended with the league MVP trophy in Bird’s hands.
Tatum could very well be traveling down the same path, as he has seemingly taken his game to a new level. Not only is he averaging the most points in the NBA at 34.7 PPG, but he’s also shooting at an absurdly efficient 58.7 percent clip from the field. On top of that, he’s corralling an average of 8.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 1.0 steals per game.
Most importantly, his Celtics are off to their first 3-0 start since the 2009-10 season.
The 24-year-old seems like a man on a mission following an NBA Finals loss that left a sour taste lingering in his mouth all summer long. It appears as though he spent that summer adding to his already elite arsenal of tricks because he’s pulling out moves that we’ve never seen before.
Even on the second night of a back-to-back in Florida, Tatum couldn’t be slowed down, as he shot 14-of-21 from the field, including 10-of-11 from inside the 3-point arc, while also making nine trips to the free-throw line. He’s been powerful on his drives and he's finishing strong through contact. He’s carving up defenses with finesse and he's dropping in floaters. Simply put, he's unstoppable right now.
And remember, Tatum always comes on stronger as the season progresses. So the rest of the league better watch out.
White’s Career Night with C’s
Tatum wasn’t the only Celtics player that put a spell on the Magic defense Saturday night. Derrick White got in on the action as well with by far his best performance in a Celtics uniform.
White had his first regular-season 20-point effort as a Celtic and finished just two points shy of his career-high with 27 in the scoring column.
The veteran combo guard started off hot from 3-point range, where he knocked down his first five attempts. In the second half, he started reaching deeper into his bag with some nifty shots from inside the arc and he even threw down a driving dunk in crunch time.
White finished 10-of-17 from the field, 5-of-9 from deep, and 2-of-3 from the free-throw line. What stood out most was his confidence – just a total lack of hesitation in his shots. All four of his corner 3 attempts were: catch, shoot, and swish without thought or hitch in between his actions.
On the defensive end, White was stellar per usual. After taking the team by surprise with his dunk, he wasted no time in running back on defense and drawing a charge at a pivotal point in the fourth quarter.
We know what we’re going to get out of him on defense every night, but if he can just maintain such confidence on the offensive end, then we could be in store for quite the two-way campaign from D-White.