Jayson Tatum isn’t in the NBA MVP discussion, but Colin Cowherd believes the Celtics forward should be recognized with another honor for his efforts this season.
Tatum has taken his game to the next level over the course of the current campaign, which helped the 22-year-old garner his first All-Star selection and positioned Boston as one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. As such, Cowherd believes this season’s Most Improved Player Award should go to the third-year pro.
“He’s averaging eight more points per game than he was last year,” Cowherd said Tuesday on FS1’s “The Herd.” “Again, he’s already got a fairly established game, so he added almost a third to his game. The Celtics I also believe are a darkhorse championship team. He was second in the NBA over the last month in points per game. So not only did he improve, his last month was exceptional.”
"LeBron James is the MVP… I don't even think it's close." @ColinCowherd hands out his 2020 NBA Awards: pic.twitter.com/CAs8Bnl7h9
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) July 21, 2020
Should Tatum claim the hardware, which was introduced in the 1985-86 season, he would become the first Celtic player to do so. We imagine the young swingman is entirely focused on claiming a much more illustrious award, though.
Boston will resume its season July 31 when it squares off with the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks.