Where did Jayson Tatum go to college? Finding out more about the Celtics star

Jayson Tatum is looking forward to potentially appearing in the NBA Finals for a second-straight season in his young career. Leading the Boston Celtics, Tatum has done a tremendous job in finishing the season as the second-best team in the Eastern Conference.

Prior to his emergence as a superstar for Boston, Tatum was the star for Duke University, where he spent one year. The 6'9" forward was the star of the Blue Devils where he played 29 games during the 2016-17 season. Tatum missed his first eight games before making his debut on December 3, 2016.

In his lone season with Duke, Tatum averaged 16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists while making 45.2% of his field goals. He led the Blue Devils to the NCAA Tournament as the second seed. Their NCAA Tournament run was short-lived as they were eliminated in the second round by South Carolina.

After his season, he was named to the ACC All-Freshman team & a third-team All-ACC selection and declared for the NBA Draft. Tatum was then drafted by the Celtics with the third pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. He's one of 25 players who attended Duke and was drafted into the league.

You might also be interested in reading this: Watch: Jayson Tatum rolls his ankle on the first play of NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 7

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Looking at Jayson Tatum's career with the Boston Celtics so far

Miami Heat v Boston Celtics - Game Seven

Jayson Tatum is currently in his sixth season in the NBA and has done an exceptional job in becoming an All-Star for the Celtics. In his young career, he has become the face of the franchise and has led the team to significant heights. Just last season, he helped Boston make a return to the NBA Finals.

During the 2022-23 season, Tatum's superb play made him an MVP candidate, and was heavily considered for the award for the majority of the campaign. Unfortunately, he didn't win the prestigious award but was named in the All-NBA First Team to cap off his performances.

The Duke alum averaged 30.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists while making 46.6% from the field and 35% from beyond the arc.

So far, Tatum is a four-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA, 2018 All-Rookie Team, the 2021-22 Eastern Conference MVP and the 2022-23 All-Star Game MVP.

Despite having a young career, he's accomplished a ton already. Tatum is bound to have an extraordinary career and has drawn comparisons to some of the game's all-time greats.

Jayson Tatum - Can he take the next step in 2023-24?

Jayson Tatum put together an elite statistical season last year, averaging 30.1 points, 4.6 assists, and 8.8 rebounds, with 1.1 steals per game on 46.6% shooting over 74 games. From an individual standpoint, Tatum is undoubtedly a top 5 player in the league. After taking yet another leap in performance, it’s hard to imagine his stats increase in the upcoming 2023-24 NBA season.

Can The Boston Celtics Win It All?

For Jayson Tatum to take another step forward, he has to prove that he can be the driving force on a championship-caliber team. The Boston Celtics have been in the prime position to make a championship run for the past few years but have only reached the NBA finals stage once.

In the upcoming 2023-24 NBA season, Jayson Tatum needs to average stats similar to his 2022-23 NBA season while carrying his team over the hump, much like his icon “The Black Mamba” Kobe Bean Bryant.