If you put a lot of stock into All-NBA teams, Jayson Tatum was one of the five best players in the league this season.
That said, one NBA writer doesn’t believe the Boston Celtics superstar is the top player in the 2022 Finals.
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton on Wednesday released a power ranking of the top 10 players set to take part in the best-of-seven series that begins Thursday night at Chase Center. Tatum found himself at No. 2 on the list, trailing only Golden State Warriors sharpshooter Stephen Curry.
“It hasn’t been a perfect postseason for Tatum, who has thrown up a couple of clunkers: 4-of-19 in Boston’s Game 3 loss at Milwaukee and 3-of-14 in a loss to Miami in Game 3,” Pelton wrote. “Like his team as a whole, though, Tatum has delivered in the biggest moments, scoring seven points in the fourth quarter of Game 7 against the Heat after a 46-point effort to outduel Giannis in the must-win Game 6 on the road against the Bucks.
“As I discussed last week, the early exits of the top five finishers for MVP have created an opening for the star of this year’s playoffs to ascend into those ranks. Tatum, who already earned All-NBA first-team honors, has a chance to firmly solidify himself in superstar territory.”
Oddsmakers seemingly view Tatum as the second-best player in the Finals as well. The 24-year-old has the second-shortest odds (+170) at DraftKings Sportsbook to win series MVP. Curry paces the field with a +110 number.
As for other Celtics representation on Pelton’s ranking, Jaylen Brown (No. 4), Marcus Smart (No. 6), Al Horford (No. 8) and Grant Williams (No. 10) also cracked the list.
