Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum couldn’t take solace in an NBA MVP trophy just over a week removed from his devastating Achilles injury.
But Tatum’s positioning as one of the top players in the league was solidified by where he finished in the MVP voting.
Tatum came in fourth place in the voting, trailing behind Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who won the coveted individual award, along with Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
It was the second time in the last three seasons Tatum took fourth in the MVP race. The 27-year-old also had two sixth-place finishes.
Tatum’s production dipped slightly from Boston’s 2023-24 championship campaign. The six-time All-Star netted 26.8 points with 8.2 rebounds and a career-high 6.0 assists per game this season. He shot 45.2% from the floor while shooting a career-worst 34.3% from beyond the arc.
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Tatum faces an extremely tough road ahead after rupturing his right Achilles tendon in Game 4 of Boston’s Eastern Conference semifinal series with the New York Knicks. It’s unclear if Tatum will play next season, but his father predicted that Tatum will be back sooner than expected.
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens was optimistic about Tatum’s recovery since he underwent surgery almost right away.
“We know that there’s a long road ahead and that there’s going to be several steps that he’ll have to take before he ultimately gets back out on the court,” Stevens told reporters earlier this week, as seen on NBC Sports Boston. “But the positive was we were 15 minutes away from Dr. (Martin) O’Malley, who is a terrific surgeon who has done a number of these.”
Even if Tatum does return at some point next season, he likely won’t be eligible for any end-of-season NBA awards with the league requiring players to suit up in at least 65 games to be considered.
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