Player of the Week

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Taylor Snow

Kristaps Porzingis helped the Celtics make NBA history Monday, as he became the fourth Boston player this season to earn a Player of the Week Award. The 7-foot-3 center joined Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White to become the first foursome of teammates to each earn a Player of the Week recognition in the same season since the award was created in 1979-80.

The Celtics have now had three players earn the award in the past five weeks, while no other NBA team has had more than two players win throughout the entire campaign.

For KP, this marks the fourth time in his career that he’s won the award and it is the first time he’s earned it since the week of Jan. 2, 2023, when he was with the Washington Wizards.

In four games from April 1 to April 7, he averaged 19.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 3.0 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 65.9 percent from the field and 63.6 percent from long range. He logged three straight double-doubles to close out the week and also recorded a pair of five-block efforts.

Now, let’s take a look back at each of those four performances, all of which resulted in wins for the C’s.

Starting the week in the final matchup of a six-game road trip, Porzingis went to work against the Charlotte Hornets with 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and one block in 30 minutes of action. Although it was his lowest rebounding effort of the week, it was his highest assist total; the five dimes tied for his second-most of the season. KP knocked down 6-of-10 from the field, 7-of-8 from the free-throw line, and finished with a plus-11 in Boston’s 118-104 win at Spectrum Center.

Porzingis’ most impressive effort of the week – and one of his best of the season – came Wednesday night against one of the best teams in the West. Facing off against the Oklahoma City Thunder, he erupted for 27 points, a season-high-tying 12 rebounds, four assists, five blocks, and one steal while shooting 11-of-14 from the field and 3-of-3 from deep during 31 minutes of turnover-free action. During the 135-100 win, KP became the first player in franchise history to log at least 10 rebounds, five blocks, and three 3-pointers in a game. He also became the second Celtic to record at least 27 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks, joining Robert Parish. Basketball Reference ranked this game as his second-best overall performance of the season; ironically, No. 1 was his previous matchup against the Thunder on Jan. 2, in which he logged 34 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks.

Porzingis kept his high efficiency rolling into Friday night’s matchup with the Sacramento Kings. In just 24 minutes, the veteran center put up 20 points while shooting 7-of-10 from the field, 2-of-2 from long range, and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. He also grabbed 11 rebounds, handed out two assists, snagged two steals, and blocked two shots during the 101-100 win.

KP wrapped up the week with another stat-stuffing performance, as he posted 12 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, three steals, and five blocks in 27 minutes of a 124-107 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. It marked Porzingis’ sixth five-block effort of the season, including his second in the last three games. It was also his third straight double-double, which is the most he’s had consecutively since the 2020-21 season with the Dallas Mavericks.

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Celtics Make NBA History with Porzingis' POTW Nod

For the second time in his career, Derrick White has been named Eastern Conference Player of the Week following a historic mid-March stretch for the Celtics guard.

From March 18 to March 23, White averaged 20.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 1.3 turnovers, while helping to guide Boston to a perfect 4-0 record. Throughout the week, he was the only NBA player to record at least 35 assists while committing no more than five turnovers. He also corralled the second-most rebounds among East guards with 26.

Over his last five games, White totaled 94 points, 40 assists, and five turnovers, making him one of just two players in franchise history to record over 90 points, at least 40 assists, and no more than five turnovers over a five-game stretch. The other was Payton Pritchard, who remarkably logged 91 points, 40 assists, and five turnovers during the same stretch and joined White on the list of five nominees for the weekly honor.

White, who last won the award in February 2023, became the third Celtic to earn Player of the Week this season, joining Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Boston is the only team to have three different winners of the award this season.

Now, let’s take a look back at each performance from White’s stellar week.

White started the week with a major career milestone by registering his first triple-double in a 119-94 win over the Pistons. He scored 22 points while shooting 6-of-12 from long distance to go along with 10 rebounds, 10 assists, two steals and one block in 37 minutes. It was his second double-digit rebound effort of the season and, at the time it marked his third double-digit assist performance. He became just the third player in Celtics history to record a triple-double while making at least six threes, joining Pritchard and Antoine Walker.

White’s highest-scoring effort of the week happened to come against Boston’s best opponent of the week, as he dropped 23 points on the second-place Milwaukee Bucks in a 122-119 win. The Colorado native shot 8-of-17 from the field, including 4-of-11 from deep, and also made all three of his free-throw attempts. White was Boston’s top distributor, handing out eight assists while not committing a single turnover. He also corralled five rebounds and blocked two shots in his 37 minutes of action.

Another game against the Pistons and almost another triple-double effort for White. On Friday night, he logged 19 points, eight rebounds, a season-high-tying 11 assists, one block, and one turnover as part of a 129-102 road win. It marked the third time this season that White handed out exactly 11 assists, though this was his best assist-to-turnover ratio of the bunch. Although his 5-of-14 shooting performance from the field wasn’t up to his standard of efficiency, he made up for it with one of his best free-throw efforts of the season, shooting 8-of-9 from the line.

White finished off the week with his eighth straight double-digit scoring performance, notching 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting in a 124-113 win over the Bulls. He also grabbed three rebounds, dished out six assists, snagged one steal, and committed just one turnover during 38 minutes in the second game of a back-to-back, as the Celtics picked up their ninth straight win.

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White Wins 2nd Career Player of the Week Award

The NBA handed out both its weekly and monthly player awards Monday afternoon and the Boston Celtics went 2-for-2.

Jayson Tatum was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for games played in February, and Jaylen Brown was recognized as the East’s Player of the Week for games played from Feb. 26 through March 3. For both of them, it marked the fourth time winning each award.

Tatum strengthened his MVP case with his second POTM nod of the season, making him the only player in either conference with multiple such wins. He also earned the award for games played in October/November.

With it being his fourth POTM recognition in total, Tatum trails only Bird’s seven wins for an entire Celtics career.

JT helped to lead the C’s to an NBA-best 9-1 February record while averaging 27.2 points on 48.0 percent shooting, 8.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. He also committed just 2.1 turnovers per game despite averaging 79.2 touches and posting a usage rate of 29.6 percent.

It marked the ninth instance of a Celtic averaging at least 27.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.0 3-point attempts per game over a single month. All nine of those occurrences Tatum has been responsible for.

It was one of the best playmaking stretches of Tatum’s career, as it marked the first time he’s averaged more than 6.0 assists over the course of a single month. He tallied at least five rebounds and five assists in nine straight games from Feb. 4 to Feb. 27, a span during which Boston went 9-0. The only Celtics who have logged a longer such stretch are Larry Bird, John Havlicek, and Bill Russell.

Tatum’s best game came during a 118-110 win on Feb. 13 in Brooklyn, during which he logged month-highs of 41 points and 14 rebounds to go along with five assists, two steals, and a block. It made him just the fifth player in NBA history to log at least 40 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, five 3-point field goals, and two steals, joining DeMarcus Cousins, Paul George, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook.

"He wants to win more than anything else,” C’s head coach Joe Mazzulla said after that effort against the Nets. “I think that's part of his growth as a player is he understands he has to be great for us every night, but it looks different every night."

JT came close to logging a triple-double on several occasions, including a 35-point, 10-rebound, eight-assist game against Washington, a 26-point, 10-rebound, nine-assist performance in Miami, and a 29-point, 11-rebound, eight-assist effort against Philadelphia.

As for Brown, he continued the tear that he’s been on since the All-Star break.

JB helped to lead the Celtics to a 3-0 week with blowout wins over Philadelphia (117-99), Dallas (138-110), and Golden State (140-88), while averaging 28.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. During that stretch, he shot 62.3 percent from the field, including 47.1 percent from long range.

Brown was incredibly consistent from a shot-making standpoint, making exactly 11 field goals in all three contests.

His most efficient effort came right off the bat with 31 points on 11-of-14 shooting against Philly. It made him the first Celtic to score more than 30 points while attempting fewer than 15 shots at TD Garden since Pierce in 2008.

The All-Star wing followed that up with his most well-rounded performance of the week: a 25-point, seven-rebound, five-assist, one-steal, zero-turnover effort against Dallas. He served as Luka Doncic’s primary defender that night and was extremely successful, limiting the MVP candidate to just six points during the 23.7 possessions in which he guarded him.

To wrap up the week, Brown had his most prolific long-range effort and best point-per-minute performance with 29 points and five 3-point makes during just 22 minutes of action in a drubbing of the Dubs. Brown erupted for 19 points in the first seven minutes of the first quarter, marking the fourth time in five games coming out of the All-Star break in which he tallied at least 18 points before halftime.”

“I love what Jaylen’s doing,” Mazzulla told Celtics.com when asked about Brown’s hot starts. “I love the work he’s putting in, I love the poise he’s playing with on the offensive end, I love the way he’s getting different baskets. Whether he’s handling, whether it’s in transition, the poise he’s playing with in the post, he’s really reading the game and taking advantage of it.”

The win over Golden State marked the 11th straight victory for the Celtics, the longest win streak of any team in the NBA this season. The Jays have their team rolling at just the right time, hopefully preparing them to gather some more prestigious hardware down the line.

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Tatum Takes Home POTM, Brown Banks POTW

Boston Celtics

BOSTON – Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has been named the NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week, the NBA announced today. Tatum collects his 10th career nod and ranks third in Celtics history for the most NBA Player of the Week honors behind Paul Pierce (17) and Larry Bird (15).Tatum led the NBA in scoring last week with 31.7 points per game and was one of only two NBA players to average at least 30.0 points and 9.0 rebounds as he led the Celtics to a perfect 3-0 record. The Celtics extended their five-game winning streak with victories against Washington (126-107), Indiana (155-104), and Brooklyn (124-114).Tatum scored at least 30 points in all three contests while shooting 58.9 percent from the field and 54.2 percent from three and played in only the first three quarters of each game against Washington and Indiana. In 31.7 minutes per game, he knocked down the most made three-pointers in the Eastern Conference with 4.3 threes per game.Drafted No. 3 overall in 2017, Tatum scored his 10,000th career point in the second quarter of Saturday’s win over the Nets and passed Antoine Walker to claim the status as the youngest player in franchise history to achieve that feat. Tatum is only the 10th player in NBA history to reach 10,000 career points before his 26th birthday, joining LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady, Devin Booker, Bob McAdoo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Dwight Howard.Tatum posted a pair of double-double performances last week against the Pacers (30 points, 12 rebounds) and Nets (32 points, 11 rebounds) and passed Kevin McHale for the seventh-most 30-point double-doubles in Celtics history with 33.

Against Indiana on November 1, Tatum racked up 21 points in the first half (6-12 FG, 2-4 3FG) in a 51-point victory, the Celtics’ third-largest margin in franchise history. In that game, Boston scored 155 total points for the second-highest score in franchise history, behind only the record 173 points in 1959 against the Minneapolis Lakers (155-104).

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Jayson Tatum Named Eastern Conference Player of the Week

Jayson Tatum was recognized Monday with his 10th career Eastern Conference Player of the Week Award, fittingly within the same week that he logged his 10,000th career point.

The All-NBA wing helped the Celtics continue their undefeated start to the season during a 3-0 stretch from Oct. 30 to Nov. 5 in which he averaged 31.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 58.9 percent from the field, 54.2 percent from 3-point range, and 94.1 percent from the free-throw line. He had two double-doubles during the week and was incredibly consistent with his scoring, posting between 30 and 33 points in all three matchups. Additionally, he posted an absurd plus/minus total of plus-81 over the three-game stretch.

Tatum became just the third player in Celtics history to reach double-figures in Player of the Week nods, joining Paul Pierce (17) and Larry Bird (14). However, it’s worth noting that Pierce had accumulated just five by Tatum’s age (25 years, 248 days old), and Bird had only three.

It was the first time that Tatum earned the recognition since Week 1 of last season.

Now, let’s take a look back at each game from Tatum’s award-winning week.

Tatum’s highest-scoring game of the week came right off the bat when he poured in 33 points in less than 28 minutes against the Washington Wizards. He had an extremely efficient night inside the arc at Capital One Arena, where he shot 10-of-12, and also had a strong showing from long range, where he made 4-of-9. On top of his scoring, Tatum grabbed six rebounds – all on the defensive end – dished out three assists, and turned the ball over just twice. He was a plus-27 in his 27-plus minutes of action and didn’t even have to step foot on the court during the fourth quarter in a 126-107 blowout win.

Tatum also didn’t play a single second of the fourth quarter in Wednesday night’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers, because it turned out to be an even more dominant effort for him and the C’s. The 25-year-old scored a game-high 30 points during a 155-104 bludgeoning of the Pacers in what was the second-highest-scoring game in franchise history. Once again, Tatum didn’t have to play much due to the lopsided nature of the game; this time he played just under 27 minutes. Still, he managed to earn a double-double with 30 points and 12 rebounds to go along with four assists and just two turnovers. Impressively, he put up the 30-piece while attempting just 15 field goals, making nine of them. It was the first game of the season in which he attempted fewer than 21 shots. Though, a good chunk of his scoring came from the free-throw line, where he shot a season-best 9-of-10. He also canned 3-of-5 from deep in the victory.

Tatum wrapped up his week in style Saturday night by becoming the youngest Celtic to reach 10,000 career points during a 32-point, 11-rebound effort in Brooklyn. For the fourth time in five games this season, Tatum made at least 50 percent of his field goals in a 10-of-20 effort. Six of those makes came from long-distance where he shot 60 percent on the night. He also made all six of his free-throw attempts, including the and-one conversion that put him at the 10K mark. This was a much closer matchup than the previous two, so Tatum saw nearly 41 minutes of action against the Nets. He put each of those minutes to good use as he guided the C’s to a 124-114 win, pushing their record to an NBA-best 5-0 on the season.

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Tatum Earns 10th Career POTW Award

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.