Even for an organization as illustrious as the Boston Celtics, Jayson Tatum made his way into uncharted territory and accomplished a franchise first last season.
Tatum became the first Celtics player to average more than 30 points per game in a season, as the two-time First Team All-NBA selection finished just barely over the threshold at 30.1 points per game.
It’s a feat Celtics legends Larry Bird and John Havlicek came close to achieving prior to Tatum, and Boston fan favorite Isaiah Thomas also knocked on the door of the mark during his sensational 2016-17 season.
Thomas actually believes he could have been the first to average more than 30 points in a season had former Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge not stood in his way.
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“29.3 before Danny made me play limited minutes the last game of season lol,” Thomas posted Wednesday on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter. “Had my season low in minutes and pts lol… LEGENDARY to say the least tho.”
It seems like if Thomas wanted to push for that record, the Celtics front office decided it wasn’t worth it with a playoff run ahead. Thomas played a season-low 22:41 in that game while scoring just 13 points in the regular-season finale against the Milwaukee Bucks. His lowest scoring output of the season dropped Thomas from 29.3 points to 28.9 points per game.
Thomas would have needed quite the showing to eclipse the 30-point mark in that contest, but even by not surpassing it, he’s still in a selective group in Celtics history.
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The 34-year-old’s career was never the same after that season, though. The Celtics traded him to the Cleveland Cavaliers that offseason and a lingering hip injury limited his production. Thomas played for seven teams after his tenure with the Celtics.
The 5-foot-9 point guard didn’t play in the NBA last season, but is trying to rejuvenate his career and sign with a team for the upcoming season.
Featured image via Sam Sharpe/USA TODAY Sports Images
