Jayson Tatum You Sonofab*tch

I will fight and die for my King, Jayson Tatum.

Am I glazing the guy? Yeah, sure. I write this in my spare time. I voluntarily take time out of my day to talk about how special and great this man is. Doctors would call that “sound decision-making.”

He really is great. He’s also the leader of this team, and the first few weeks of the season have made that abundantly clear. Paul George had an exemplary Game 1, but he’s since settled into his role and looks comfortable. Tatum, however, still wears the crown. Now that he’s out on an island with no other superstar on the roster to compete with, he has arguably never looked more comfortable. He’s already earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors for last week.

Well-earned, I might add. Averaging over 30 points a game throughout the week and hitting a game-winner in a Tuesday night overtime matchup against the Nets will do that. Tatum has been one of the most clutch shooters in the league, boasting a 38.7% field-goal percentage on shots taken in the final 30 seconds to tie or take the lead, according to Yahoo Sports. When it’s crunch time, it’s Tatum time.

Taco Jay takes over on Tuesday. Taco Tuesday.

I mean, did it suck that we went to overtime against the Brooklyn Nets? Sure. But Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle have that team buzzing. It isn’t necessarily translating into wins, but they’re buzzing nonetheless. Caleb Wilson was also putting on a show in the matchups against the Bulls. Good stuff from the rookie Kevin Garnett has dubbed “The Little Ticket.”

And I don’t want to hear that Jayson Tatum is only winning against bad teams. He plays the teams in front of him. So far, we’ve only had two losses, against the Rockets and Pistons, both of whom are currently in the top four of their respective conferences. The Rockets game also came on the second night of a back-to-back road trip, one of four such stretches the Celtics face in November. Criminal by the NBA. Adam Silver, the day will come when you answer for your sins.

But back to Tatum.

This is the best opportunity of his career to capture the MVP award. Not only is he the primary offensive engine for this Celtics squad, but the league around him has been decimated early in the season. Anthony Edwards is expected to miss significant time, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has lost two of his co-stars, and it seems like officials are cracking down on some of his foul-baiting. Meanwhile, Victor Wembanyama isn’t the clear favorite I figured he would be.

Luka Dončić is putting together an explosive offensive season, but he remains a cone on defense. I’m curious how voters will weigh that when it comes time to cast their ballots.

Tatum, the path is there for you. Now go out and take it.

You’re the man, Tatum. Show all those guys on X who call you overrated, a bum, a stat-padder, and a role player what you really are.

The Anomaly.