Jayson Tatum’s game took a huge jump this year, putting him on the map as one of the NBA’s rising superstars.
Tatum is among a very talented group of players who entered the league at the same time, depicted as the Boston Celtics traded the 2017 NBA Draft’s No. 1 overall pick for No. 3 and still land their guy.
Still, the third-year pro stands out among those who entered the NBA around the same time as him. Especially when it comes to his Player Impact Plus-Minus (PIPM), which estimates a player’s value over the course of a season.
All year, or at least until the season was suspended due to the coronavirus, Tatum had one of the best PIPMs in the league, indicating a high impact on his team.
He currently sits ninth behind players like Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, Los Angeles Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James and Houston Rockets’ James Harden. Second-year Dallas Maverick Luka Doncic is the only player younger than Tatum who is ahead of him in the rankings.
But compared to the four rookies in 2017 who made an All-Star team this year, Ben Simmons, Donovan Mitchell and Bam Adebayo, Tatum’s career numbers are better.
Take a look below:
The 4 All-Stars of the 2017 rookie class: Ben Simmons, Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell and Bam Adebayo
Tatum the clear leader in the clubhouse right now. pic.twitter.com/6R7YqR6vFP
— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) May 5, 2020
Now, before anyone says that Ben Simmons’ first year in the league was the 2016-17 season: you’re right. However, he was the NBA’s Rookie of the Year for the 2017-18 season, so we’re allowing it.
