When four-time All-NBA Boston Celtics power forward Jayson Tatum scored his seventh and eighth points against the Atlanta Hawks in Tuesday night’s ongoing Emirates NBA Cup matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, he further enshrined himself among the franchise’s all-time legends.
According to the contest’s NBC Sports Boston broadcast, Tatum’s 12,196 career points (and counting) move him into 12th all-time among Boston’s leading scorers early into his eighth pro season, ahead of Hall of Fame combo forward Tommy Heinsohn’s 12,194 across a nine-season championship run. Three-time All-Star power forward Antoine Walker’s 11,386 and the 10,222 career points of Tatum’s All-Star teammate Jaylen Brown round out the club’s top 15 scorers.
Tatum will no doubt soon pass another Hall of Famer Celtics legend, eight-time All-Star shooting guard Bill Sharman, whom Tatum currently trails by just 91 points. Given that the 6-foot-8 former Duke Blue Devil is could achieve that feat within the next three games.
He’s averaging 30.5 points on .465/.367/.798 shooting splits, 7.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists through his first 11 games with the club. The five-time All-Star, always a pretty prodigious scorer and enthusiastic defender, seems to have taken a leap this year, and has emerged as a bona fide MVP candidate this season.
Seven-time All-Star point guard Jo Jo White is tenth, with 13,188 career points. The Hall of Fame point guard won two championships with Boston from 1969-79, before spending his final two NBA seasons with the Golden State Warrior snad then-Kansas City Kings.
Brown’s 16 points pace the Celtics through one quarter. Boston leads, marginally, against a very banged-up Atlanta club, 31-29. The reigning Finals MVP has scored those 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field (1-of-4 from deep) and 3-of-4 shooting from the charity stripe, plus two rebounds. Tatum’s eight points arrive on an inefficent 2-of-6 shooting from the floor (1-of-4 from long range) and 3-of-3 shooting from the foul line. He also has chipped in four rebounds and an assist.
The Celtics have a significant 5-0 edge in fastbreak points so far, while the Hawks’ Trae Young-free offense has, predictably, thrived as a passing team, enjoying a 10-6 advantage.
Boston and Atlanta find themselves in East Group A for this year’s NBA Cup festivities, alongside the 12-0 Cleveland Cavaliers, the scrappy Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards. Chicago and Atlanta represent the league’s two fastest-paced clubs, but that doesn’t seem likely to be a problem for a club as athletic and adept defensively as the defending champs.
