Jayson Tatum is having arguably the best season of his career. After winning an NBA championship and Olympic gold earlier this year, his numbers are largely up across the board and he’s become more of a complete playmaker and defender in 2024. The Celtics are second in the Eastern Conference and on pace to win even more games than last year.
But even with that developing resume, Tatum is trailing a few spots behind in the MVP race.
In ESPN’s MVP straw poll at the quarter mark, the Celtics superstar is squarely in fourth place behind the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic, Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo.