Player of the Week

Taylor Snow

The best individual start to a season in Celtics history was also the best individual start in the Eastern Conference this season. Appropriately, Jayson Tatum has been named East Player of the Week for Week 1 of the 2022-23 campaign.

Tatum averaged an NBA-leading 34.7 points per game during the inaugural week of the season while shooting an impressive 58.3 percent from the field. He also corralled 8.3 rebounds, dished out 3.0 assists, snagged 1.0 steals, and blocked 1.7 shots per game while guiding his team to a perfect 3-0 record.

In the process, Tatum set the franchise record for most points through the first three games of a season with a league-best 104 points. He passed Larry Bird’s previous record of 96 points at the start of the 1984-85 season, which wound up being an MVP campaign for Larry Legend.

Tatum now also finds himself halfway to another Celtics record with his ninth career Player of the Week recognition – and his fourth in the past seven weeks dating back to last season. That places him third in franchise history behind Paul Pierce (17) and Bird (15). Being already halfway to Pierce’s mark, Tatum should have no trouble eventually smashing that record as well.

Now, let’s take a look back at the performances that made Tatum’s week stand out.

Tatum opened the season with a bang Tuesday night, dropping a double-double of 35 points and 12 rebounds in a 126-117 win at home over the Philadelphia 76ers. Jaylen Brown logged 35 in the scoring department as well, tying them both for the second-highest individual point totals in a season opener in franchise history. Tatum shot 13-of-20 from the field and 7-for-9 from the free-throw line while also logging four assists, one steal, and one block in 39 minutes of action.

During Friday night’s rematch of the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals in Miami, Tatum was the best player on the floor. He led the game in scoring with 29 points on 10-of-22 shooting, while also leading his team in assists with four, which boosted the C’s to a 111-104 win on the same court where they had become East Champions five months prior. Tatum rounded out his performance with five rebounds, two blocks, and a steal while turning the ball over just twice in 37 minutes of action. He also hit a couple of huge shots down the stretch, while Brown was on the bench due to foul trouble, which helped the C’s to sustain a late Heat run.

Tatum capped off the week with his best performance thus far, erupting for 40 points in a 126-120 win in Orlando. The superstar wing shot 14-of-21 from the field, 4-of-10 from 3-point range, and 8-of-9 from the free throw line in what was the 15th 40-point game of his career. He also grabbed eight rebounds, blocked two shots, dished out one assist, and snagged one steal, while turning the ball over only once in 38 minutes of action. During the fourth quarter, Tatum became the first player in franchise history to score at least 100 points within the first three games of a season. He easily passed Bird’s previous team record of 96, as he finished with 104 in the scoring column.

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Tatum’s Latest POTW Nod has Him Halfway to C's Record

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Jayson Tatum made franchise history Monday afternoon, as he became the first Boston Celtics player to win back-to-back Eastern Conference Player of the Week awards. He also became just the second player in NBA history to win the award three times in the same month, joining LeBron James, who accomplished the feat in January of 2012.

Tatum continued his excellent month by averaging 32.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks over a span of three games from March 21 to March 27, each of which resulted in a win for the Celtics.

During those matchups against Oklahoma City, Utah, and Minnesota, the 24-year-old shot 58.2 percent (32-of-55) from the field, 50.0 percent (15-of-30) from 3-point range, and 100 percent (17-of-17) from the free throw line.

It marked the fourth time this season in which Tatum has earned the award, tying Larry Bird’s mark for most wins in the same season.

Now, let’s take a look back at the performances that allowed Tatum to stand out among the crowd, yet again.

Tatum’s best game of the week came right off the bat, as he and the Celtics concluded a four-game sweep out West. During the final game of the trip in Oklahoma City, JT dropped 36 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the field, while also connecting on a perfect 9-for-9 from the free-throw line, as Boston struck down the Thunder, 132-123. Apart from it being his best scoring game, Tatum also logged week-highs of seven rebounds and two steals to go along with six assists and a block, showing no sign of fatigue despite playing 39 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back.

Even though it was his lowest-scoring game of the week, Wednesday night’s effort against the Utah Jazz was still the most efficient game of Jayson Tatum’s week. He logged 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field, including 5-of-8 from 3-point range, while also notching three rebounds and three assists. The only reason why Tatum didn’t reach 30 in the scoring column was that the Celtics dominated the Jazz so excessively that they only needed their star wing for 29 minutes of a 125-97 win at TD Garden.

Tatum capped off his week with another mid-30s effort in the scoring column, as he dropped 34 points on 12-of-21 shooting against the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves. Tatum also grabbed five rebounds, dished out six assists, and logged one apiece in the steal and block departments. His most impressive stat was being a game-best plus-34 during just under 34 minutes of action, which brought his weekly total up to a plus-62 in 101 total minutes. It also marked the fifth straight game in which Tatum knocked down at least five 3-pointers, which is the longest such streak in franchise history, and one that remains ongoing.

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Tatum Makes History with Latest Player of the Week Award

Jayson Tatum has been named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the second time this month.

The NBA announced his recognition Monday afternoon following a week during which he averaged 29.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists in three road games – all Celtics wins. During those games played at Golden State, Sacramento and Denver, the 24-year-old shot 59.2 percent from the field, 57.1 percent from 3-point range, and 93.3 percent from the free-throw line.

The fifth-year wing also won the award after the first week of March, when he compiled 41.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 5.0 APG, while shooting 52.5 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from 3-point range.

For Tatum, it is his third such honor of the season, making it the second consecutive season during which he has been named Player of the Week three times. Larry Bird and Kevin Garnett are the only other players in franchise history who have won it three times during the same season.

As for Boston players who have won it twice in the same month, the list is even shorter. Paul Pierce had been the only other Celtic to do so, accomplishing the feat twice in December of 2007.

With one week left in March, Tatum has a chance to make Celtics history – if he were to win it a third time. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s take a look back at the incredible week he just put together.

Tatum started off the week with his 21st double-double of the season Wednesday night, logging team highs of 26 points and 12 rebounds during a 110-88 win over the Golden State Warriors. Although he shot below 40 percent both from the field and 3-point range, it was one of Tatum’s best free-throw-shooting performances of the season. He attacked the rim relentlessly, which helped him to earn 12 trips to the free-throw line; he made 11 of those attempts, which tied his second-most makes of the season. Tatum also dished out four assists, snagged one steal, and was a plus-17 during 37 minutes of action. Entering the night, Golden State had the best home record in the entire NBA at 29-7, but Tatum and Co. had no trouble at all blowing them out at Chase Center.

The middle game of the week was one of the most efficient, high-volume scoring games of Tatum’s entire career. During a 126-97 beatdown against the Sacramento Kings on Friday night, he dropped a game-high 32 points on 12-of-16 shooting from the field, including a 7-of-10 clip from 3-point range. It marked the first time in Tatum’s career that he scored 30-plus points on at least 70 percent shooting both from the field and from long range. Tatum also corralled five rebounds, handed out four assists, and turned the ball over just twice during 34 minutes of action at Golden 1 Center.

It’s not unusual to hear “MVP” chants inside Ball Arena, but it is unusual when they are not being directed toward reigning league MVP Nikola Jokic. On Sunday night, those words were raining down upon Tatum in the Mile High City, as he and the Celtics handed the Nuggets a 124-104 hammering. Tatum tied fellow Player of the Week nominee Jaylen Brown in the scoring column with 30 points, marking the second straight game during which the duo reached that mark. Tatum delivered another remarkable shooting performance, knocking down 11-of-17 from the field, including 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. He also corralled six rebounds and tied Marcus Smart for the game high in assists with seven, all during just 33 minutes of action. Tatum finished the night with a plus-22 and wrapped up the week with a plus-79 over 104 total minutes.

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Tatum Earns Second Player of the Week Nod in Three Weeks

Jayson Tatum capped off his birthday week by earning some hardware Monday afternoon, as the NBA named him Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Feb. 28 – March 6.

It marked the 24-year-old’s sixth time earning the recognition, which moved him past Kevin Garnett and Isaiah Thomas into third place on the Celtics’ all-time list of winners behind only Paul Pierce (17) and Larry Bird (15).

In three appearances, Tatum produced an NBA-best 41.3 points per game, marking just the second time of his career averaging 40+ PPG over a week’s span (42.7 PPG from April 26, 2021 – May 2, 2021). There has been only one other instance in Celtics history of a player averaging 40-plus points in a week, and that was Larry Bird from March 11, 1985 – March 17, 1985.

Over the course of this past week, Tatum shot 52.5 percent from the field, 40.6 percent from 3-point range, and 84 percent from the free-throw line, while also tallying 6.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.

Tatum led Boston to a 3-0 record during that stretch, beating three opponents that are currently in the playoff picture with wins over Atlanta, Memphis, and Brooklyn. Each of those opponents also happened to include some of the league’s most elite scorers in Trae Young, Ja Morant, and Kevin Durant, whom Tatum outscored by a combined tally of 124-106.

You can check out more details of Tatum’s stellar seven-day stretch below:

Tatum started off his week with a near-triple-double effort against Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks.

JT compiled 33 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, as he outshined Young (31 points) while leading Boston to a 107-98 win.

Tatum shot 12-of-25 from the field, including 9-of-15 from inside the arc. He also knocked down 6-of-7 from the free-throw line and turned the ball over just twice during 39 minutes of action.

Tatum split his scoring almost perfectly between the two halves, dropping in 17 points during the first half and 16 points after the break. After trailing by as many as 14 points in the opening half, Boston outscored Atlanta’s high-octane offense, 56-33 in the second half, leading to a homestand-opening win at TD Garden.

Amazingly, that 33-point effort was Tatum’s “worst” of the week, as his scoring volume increased with each game.

Tatum celebrated his March 3 birthday with another massive scoring effort, logging 37 points against the Memphis Grizzlies in a 120-107 win at TD Garden.

Ja Morant, who was coming off a career-high 52-point outing, edged Tatum by one in the scoring column; however, Tatum was a bit more efficient than his superstar counterpart, finishing with one more field-goal make on four fewer attempts.

Tatum shot 14-of-25 from the field, including 12-of-18 from inside the 3-point arc. He also shot 7-of-8 from the free-throw line, grabbed six rebounds, dished out five assists, and blocked one shot in his second straight 39-minute outing.

This outing, however, was different from the previous one in that Tatum did most of his scoring in the second half. After putting up just 10 points in the first half, he dropped 27 into the scoring column after the break while guiding Boston to a 73-point second-half effort.

Tatum saved his best performance of the week for last, as he poured in a season-high 54 points on the Brooklyn Nets in a 126-120 win at TD Garden.

It was a matchup that Tatum had been anticipating in going up against one of his childhood idols in Kevin Durant. And JT blew KD out of the water, outscoring the former MVP by 17 points.

Tatum shot a whopping 16-of-30 from the field, 8-of-15 from 3-point range, and 14-of-17 from the free-throw line. He also corralled five rebounds, handed out three assists, and turned the ball over just twice in nearly 42 minutes of action.

For Tatum, it was the second-highest scoring effort of his career behind his 60-point outburst against San Antonio last April. Including the postseason, it was the sixth 50-point effort of his career, which is the most in franchise history over Larry Bird’s mark of four such efforts.

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Jayson Tatum Caps Off Birthday Week with POTW Award

After compiling one of the greatest individual weeklong stretches in franchise history, Celtics wing Jayson Tatum has been named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from April 26 through May 2.

The NBA made the unsurprising announcement Monday afternoon following a week in which Tatum averaged a league-best 42.7 points on 54.4% shooting from the field (59.1 percent from 3-point range), 6.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists, during which time the Celtics produced a 2-1 record.

It marked the third time this season that Tatum has captured the weekly award, making him the first Celtic to accomplish such a feat since Kevin Garnett was a three-time recipient during Boston's 2007-2008 championship season.

Tatum’s highlight performance was a 60-point outpour that sparked a 32-point comeback over the San Antonio Spurs Friday night, which was bookended by two other elite efforts against Charlotte on Wednesday night and Portland on Sunday night.

Now, let’s take a look back at all three of those efforts, which resulted in Tatum penning his name under multiple sections of the franchise’s record book.

One of the most intriguing aspects of Tatum winning Player of the Week was that he actually started the week on Boston’s injury report. He missed Tuesday night’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a left ankle impingement, but he sure didn’t look hobbled when he returned to action the next night against Charlotte.

A well-rested and healthy Tatum nearly snagged a 30-point triple-double against the Hornets, as he put 35 in the scoring column, eight in the rebounding column, and eight more in the assisting column.

He shot 12-of-23 from the field, 4-of-10 from 3-point range, and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line during 40-plus minutes of action, as he and Jaylen Brown (38 points) guided the C’s to a 120-111 win over Terry Rozier and the Hornets.

Tatum capped off a stellar month of April in storybook fashion Friday night, as he tied Larry Bird’s single-game scoring record while leading the Celtics to their largest comeback in team history.

Boston got off to a dismal start, as it trailed San Antonio 39-16 after one quarter and 77-48 at halftime, despite a 24-point first-half effort from Tatum. But in the second half, the Celtics picked up the pieces, all while Tatum continued to get hotter.

The 23-year-old poured in 36 more points after halftime, tying Bird’s single-game scoring record of 60 points. The Celtics, meanwhile, overcame a 32-point deficit, marking their greatest comeback in team history.

Tatum scored 31 points during the fourth quarter and overtime and secured his 60-piece with two makes from the free-throw line late in the extra period to seal a 143-140 win. Throughout the night, he shot 20-of-37 from the field, 5-of-7 from beyond the 3-point arc, and 15-for-17 from the free-throw line, as he became the second-youngest player in NBA history to score 60 points in a game (23 years, 58 days) after Devin Booker (20 years, 145 days).

Tatum also impacted the game in other areas, as he corralled eight rebounds, five assists, and one block during 45 minutes of turnover-free action. He joined Carmelo Anthony and Klay Thompson as the only players in NBA history to score 60-plus points in a game while not committing any turnovers. Although Tatum’s case was more impressive than either of the other two since both Anthony and Thompson went assist-less during their respective efforts.

Despite putting everything he had into Friday night's 60-point effort, Tatum somehow had enough gas left in his tank to deliver another high-scoring performance against Portland two nights later.

Tatum produced his most efficient game of the week Sunday night at TD Garden, where he scored 33 points while shooting 11-of-19 from the field, 4-of-5 from deep, and 7-of-7 from the charity stripe. He also dished out five assists, grabbed two rebounds, and blocked one shot during his 37 minutes of action in spite of his team suffering a 129-119 loss to the hot-handed Trail Blazers.

It was Tatum’s third consecutive game of logging at least 30-plus points and five-plus assists while shooting at least 50 percent from the field, marking the longest such stretch by a Celtics player since Bird in 1987-88. His 128 total points over that span also edged Bird’s previously-owned franchise mark of 126 points in a three-game stretch.

Unfortunately for Tatum, he ended the week on a rough note as he had to leave late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game after colliding with Jaylen Brown on a defensive possession. He limped off the court and did not return, but he seemed optimistic after the game saying his injured leg "should be OK.”

Hopefully, that means he’ll have a chance to defend his Player of the Week title over these next few games.

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A Look Back at Jayson Tatum's Record-Setting Week

Jayson Tatum turned in one of the best weeks of his NBA career last week. For that, he has earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Jan. 4-10, the NBA announced Monday.

During Boston’s 3-0 stretch from Jan. 4 through Jan. 8, Tatum averaged 33.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, while shooting 52.2 percent from the field, 52.0 percent from 3-point range, and a perfect 100 percent from the free-throw line where he sank all 16 of his attempts.

This marks the second Player of the Week recognition for Tatum in his career, after also getting the nod during the second week of February 2020.

Now, let’s take a look back at the three performances that made this past week so special for the 22-year-old wing.

Tatum started the week off with a bang, turning in his best performance of 2021 against the Toronto Raptors.

Just one day after dishing out a career high 12 assists in Detroit, Tatum switched gears and churned out a season-best 40-point effort In Tampa to help guide Boston to a 126-114 win.

JT shot an impressive 11-of-19 from the field and 5-of-8 from 3-point range. But his most encouraging scoring stat came from the free-throw line, where he shot a perfect 13-of-13 after averaging less than three such attempts through his first seven games.

Tatum also logged six rebounds, two assists, two blocks and only one turnover during 32 minutes of action. In the process, he became the first Celtics player to log 40-plus points, 13-plus free throws and six-plus rebounds in a game since Paul Pierce on Feb. 15 2006.

Tatum accomplished all of that while going toe-to-toe with Second Team All-NBA wing Pascal Siakam, who fell well shy of Tatum’s effort with a 22-point, six-rebound, three-assist performance of his own.

Two nights after his performance in Tampa, Tatum was at it again in Miami, this time with his eyes set on revenge. During a rematch of the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals, Tatum poured in a game-high 27 points while shooting 10-of-21 from the field, including his second straight 5-of-8 effort from 3-point range. He also logged five rebounds, four assists and just two turnovers during 38 minutes of action, while leading the C’s to a thrilling, 107-105 win.

Even more inspiring than his efforts on the court was the statement Tatum gave following the game off the court. He and his teammates had been playing with heavy hearts due to that day’s attack on the Capitol, and so afterward, he and Jaylen Brown held a joint media session so that they could express their emotions to the world. Their conversation centered around the lack of police force used to mitigate the attack compared to the violent force used to dissipate various Black Lives Matter protests throughout 2020.

Brown referred to it as “two split, different Americas,” a concept upon which Tatum expounded.

“I just feel like the same energy should be kept when we see our people peacefully protesting about things like, we see our people getting murdered on TV and live and in videos,” Tatum said. “And they’re protesting in the Capitol – or rioting in the Capitol – for losing an election. It’s two different things.”

The idea of not playing that night in light of the attack was taken into consideration, but Tatum said that ultimately, “I think that the statement of us talking about it, us going on the court on national TV could shed more light than us not playing.”

And he followed through by delivering both on the court and off the court.

Tatum finished off his week with one of his most anticipated battles of the season: a matchup against childhood friend and fellow All-Star Bradley Beal.

The St. Louis natives started off the game trading shot-for-shot, concluding the first quarter with identical tallies of 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Beal, the NBA’s leading scorer, continued to take off from there, finishing with a game-high 41 points on 16-of-29 shooting from the field. Tatum, meanwhile, ended up with a Celtics-high 32 points on 12-of-27 shooting. It was Tatum who got the last laugh in the matchup, as his team ran away with a 116-107 victory.

With the addition of his five rebounds to the effort, it marked Tatum’s third straight game with at least 25 points and five boards, matching the longest such streak of his four-year NBA career. It also capped off one of the best weeks of his career, leading to his much-deserved Player of the Week recognition.

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A Look Back at Jayson Tatum's Award-Winning Week

Boston Celtics

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BOSTON, MA – Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Jan. 4-10, the NBA announced today. It's the second time in his career and the first time during the 2020-21 season that he's received the conference's weekly award.

Tatum, 22, averaged a team-best 33.0 points on 52.2% shooting (52.0% 3-PT) to go along with 5.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in an undefeated three-game week at Toronto (1/4), at Miami (1/6), and at home against Washington (1/8). He produced at least 25 points and five rebounds in each of the three games, matching the longest such streak of his four-year NBA career.

The St. Louis native opened his week with a season-high 40 points on 57.9% shooting (5-8 3-PT, 13-13 FT) against the Raptors on Jan. 4, good for the third 40-point scoring game of his NBA career. He also added six rebounds that night, making him the first Celtics player to record 40+ points, 13+ free throws, and 6+ rebounds in a single game since Paul Pierce on Feb. 15, 2006.

Tatum is the first Celtics player to earn Player of the Week honors this season. His first such award came in February of last season, making him the first Celtics player to capture Player of the Week honors in consecutive seasons since Isaiah Thomas did so in 2015-16 and 2016-17.

In 10 games played this season (all starts), Tatum has produced a team-high 26.9 points on 47.4% shooting (43.8% 3-PT, 88.9% FT), 7.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.0 steal in 34.6 minutes. He's one of four NBA players averaging at least 26.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in 2020-21, and the only one of that group shooting at least 43.0% from beyond the arc.

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Jayson Tatum Named Eastern Conference Player of the Week

NEW YORK, March 2, 2015 – The Boston Celtics’ Isaiah Thomas and the Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard today were named NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Feb. 23, through Sunday, March 1.

Thomas helped the Celtics to a 3-1 week, which included wins over the Phoenix Suns and Charlotte Hornets.  He placed third in the East in scoring (22.0 ppg) and tied for seventh in assists (6.5 apg).  On Feb. 27, Thomas scored a season-high 28 points and dished out seven assists during the Celtics’ 106-98 win over the Hornets.

Lillard led the Trail Blazers to a 3-0 week, which included wins over the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.  He averaged 26.0 points (third in the conference) and added 5.7 assists and 4.7 rebounds.  Lillard capped his week with a 31-point, seven-assist, four-rebound performance on March 1, during a 110-99 win over the Sacramento Kings.