NBA Top 10 Countdown: Eight – Jayson Tatum, with a title under his belt, what’s next?

In the run-up to the 2024/25 NBA season, Flashscore presents a ranking of the ten best players in the world’s best basketball league. In eighth place is Jayson Tatum (26). As an NBA champion, he still has some individual milestones ahead of him.

The Boston Project, launched in 2013 when the Celtics sent their veterans to the Nets for a plethora of draft picks, has finally paid off 11 years later. A long-awaited NBA title – the franchise’s first in 16 years – for a team built around the duo Jaylen Brown And Jayson Tatum. However, the fact that the former won the Finals MVP award still raises serious eyebrows among many.

On paper, Tatum is the leader. But for a player who likes to repeat that he is among the crème de la crème of the NBA, the Finals MVP result must have been painful. The debate over who the true leader of this team is has likely plagued the Celtics’ progress over the past few years, and when a consensus was finally reached on Tatum, Brown stole the show.

By nature, Tatum is No. 1. That’s why, unlike his teammate, he is included in this top 10. But is he capable of getting back into contention for the MVP? The favorites seem untouchable, and despite Boston’s steamroller season, only one of the 100 voters had put the former Duke man on the podium.

So individually Tatum must do better and end the #1 debate for good. But for a player who has long been hailed as a future MVP, that still seems out of reach. Unless he goes from “very, very good” to “exceptional.” But should he prioritize the individual awards or the collective trophy? That’s the essence of Jayson Tatum’s season, unless he’s capable of both.

Statistics 2023/2024: 26.9 points, 4.9 assists, 8.1 rebounds, 47.1% shooting, 37.6% three-pointers

Goals for 2024/2025: 30 points / 10 rebounds / NBA champion / MVP podium