Boston Celtics
Tatum trails only Paul Pierce and Larry Bird on the franchise list.
Jayson Tatum AP Photo/Charles Krupa
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Celtics star Jayson Tatum hit another milestone this week, earning Eastern Conference player of the week honors for the first time this season.
Tatum, who missed most of the season with a ruptured Achilles’ tendon, won the award just 11 games into his return.
It’s the 13th time Tatum has won the award overall. He’s third all time on the franchise list trailing only Paul Pierce (17) and Larry Bird (15).
Tatum took strides this week, helping the Celtics win go 3-0 against the Thunder, Hawks, and Hornets.
All three teams are in the top 10 of their respective conference standings. The Thunder are No. 1 in the west, the Hawks are No. 6 in the East, and the Hornets, who share an identical 39-36 record with the Heat are No. 10 based on tiebreakers.
Tatum nearly averaged a double-double over the three games, scoring 25.7 points and grabbing 9.7 rebounds per contest. He also chipped in 6.7 assists and a steal per game over that stretch.
He found his shooting touch against the Hornets on Sunday. The triumph against Charlotte marked the first time this season Tatum made more of his field attempts than he missed. He scored 32 points on 12-for-23 shooting and drilled five 3-pointers. He had eight assists with no turnovers in that game.
Tatum is still shooting slightly below 40 percent from the field this season, but this week helped his numbers significantly.
Tatum continued to increase his workload steadily this week, averaging 34 minutes per game. He began the season at 27 minutes per game and has steadily ramped that number up over the last few weeks.
The 28-year-old forward also made some Celtics history last week, becoming the youngest player in franchise history to score 14,000 points. He is one of nine players to score that many points in a Celtics uniform.
The Celtics will play the Hawks again on Monday night, this time in Atlanta. They are in the middle of a four-game road trip, with trips to Miami and Milwaukee left before they return to TD Garden Sunday afternoon against the Raptors.
The Hornets will be in town for a rematch next Tuesday on April 7. The regular-season concludes April 12.
Khari A. Thompson
Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.
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