The Celtics have the best record in the NBA at the midway point of the season, and it could result in some strong representation at the 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City.
Boston is 31-12 as of Friday after it beat the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on Thursday. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown likely will be All-Stars based on fan voting, but the former could also participate in the Saturday festivities at All-Star Weekend.
Tatum reportedly has received an invite to participate in the 3-Point Contest, according to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report. The 24-year-old has not responded to the invite to his second 3-Point Contest.
The Celtics are among the best teams in 3-point shooting this season. They rank eighth in percentage at 36.9% and second in makes and attempts at 15.4 and 41.7 per game, respectively.
Malcolm Brogdon and Al Horford are in the top 10 of 3-point percentage in the league at 44.3% and 43.5%, respectively. But Tatum is the per game leader on the Celtics with 3.2 makes and 9.2 attempts. Those marks rank ninth and seventh, respectively, in the NBA.
Whether or not Tatum chooses to make his case for the 3-point king of the league is up to him; the three-time All-Star did reveal he’s been suffering a lingering injury, so he might not want to do further damage by participating in the 3-Point Contest. Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns likely will defend his crown, but the field has not taken shape as of Friday.
