Jayson Tatum admitted he knew he was a mere 16 points away from the 10,000-point threshold as he entered Saturday night's game against the Brooklyn Nets. But what Tatum didn't realize is that he would become the youngest player in Boston Celtics history to reach the career milestone.
Tatum etched his name in the record book during the second quarter of Boston's 124-114 win at Barclays Center.
"It's kind of hard to process in the moment," Tatum told reporters after dropping 32 points with 11 rebounds in 41 minutes, per NBC Sports Boston. "It's a huge accomplishment. I'm extremely blessed to be apart of such a great franchise, and I've just been fortunate to be on some really good teams, have some really, really good coaches and obviously have some great teammates that have helped contribute to 10,000 points along the way."
While speaking with NBC Sports Boston's Abby Chin after the win, Tatum said: "... Hopefully I got a lot more to go and a lot more games to win."
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Tatum is averaging 30.2 points on 55% from the field during Boston's five games this season. Should those numbers continue, they would mark career-highs for the three-time All-NBA honoree.
The Celtics, who are the only unbeaten team left in the league, return to the floor Monday night in Minnesota as they take on the Timberwolves.
Featured image via Wendell Cruz/USA TODAY Sports Images