jayson tatum race

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This year'south NBA All-Star Game typhoon is going to expect a little unlike with LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo selecting their rosters right before it starts Sunday, but Jayson Tatum has some advice for the ii captains.

"Those guys know me pretty well, so if they desire to win they should choice me," the Boston Celtics star told Bleacher Report.

James knows how to win in this event with a perfect 5-0 tape as a captain since the All-Star Game switched from the traditional matchup between the Eastern and Western Conferences to the one where the captains draft from a pool of players.

Tatum will be one of the starters in Salt Lake City and said he expects anybody to "take some fun with information technology" even if he has "no thought what it's going to look like" come typhoon time.

Antetokounmpo and James could practise far worse than drafting Tatum.

Later on all, the four-time All-Star seems to take elevated his game to another level in 2022-23 even though he already has a resume with iii Eastern Briefing Finals appearances and a spot in concluding season's NBA Finals.

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He is averaging 30.half-dozen points, viii.half dozen rebounds and 4.v assists per game, which are all career-high marks. His performance has been all the more important with Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Al Horford and others missing time for the Celtics.

"Every bit I go older and the more games and playoff series I play, I but larn things," Tatum said of his play. "I take what I learn and utilise information technology to offseason grooming and try to come back better than last season. That's all I really try to do is be better in every aspect than I was last flavour."

Beingness better in every attribute has landed him firmly in the MVP discussion.

Tatum is fourth on ESPN's MVP Ladder ahead of the All-Star Game and backside only Nikola Jokić, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid. Yet those 3 and everyone else in the NBA are looking up at Boston's 42-17 tape as the best mark in the league ahead of the stretch run.

"The MVP race is tight, there'south a lot of guys that are having great years on winning teams," he said. "It's going to be shut. All I tin do is continue to play like I'one thousand playing and contribute to winning, and the rest will have care of itself."

He has contributed to enough of winning, although the Celtics are however just a half-game ahead of the 41-17 Milwaukee Bucks in the race for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee enters the All-Star suspension on a 12-game winning streak, and the two powerhouses will face off for a rubber match later in the season later on splitting their commencement ii contests.

Final season's second-round playoff matchup between the ii sides was arguably the virtually memorable of the entire postseason with Antetokounmpo carrying the Bucks even with Khris Middleton sidelined and forcing the full seven games.

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Yet Boston won the decisive Game 7 on its home court, illustrating how of import it volition be for Tatum and Co. to concur off the Bucks and assure that domicile-court reward once again this time around.

"It's the final stretch going into the playoffs, this is when you ramp upwards and really get information technology going because y'all're trying to gel and get your rhythm right," Tatum said of the race ahead. "Hopefully everybody can stay good for you, and nosotros'll take it 1 game at a time."

Boston will approach that stretch run with some additional stability after it named Joe Mazzulla the permanent head coach, removed the interim tag and gave him a contract extension.

The choice of Mazulla was an obvious ane since he was an assistant coach the previous iii seasons and familiar with the players on the roster.

"He's been corking," Tatum said of the motorbus who has helped lead Boston to its 42-17 mark. "More than anything, he's just a really good person. I value the human relationship that we have and the human relationship he has with all the guys on the squad. Information technology'southward a good relationship, we're trying to help him and he's trying to assistance the states. We're all on the same team trying to accomplish the same goal."

That'south non the only team Tatum is on.

The Celtics' leader is part of Ruffles' roster of Chip Deal Athletes alongside Lebron James and A'ja Wilson and helped the company launch its "Cull the Flavor that Speaks to You" entrada for All-Star Weekend.

Part of that experience involved Tatum being on site at Salt Lake Metropolis's J.Dawgs eatery to launch Charles Barkley'due south new signature Ruffles Hot Canis familiaris flavor that is based on the Hall of Famer's favorite nutrient. Fans started lining upwards at v a.m. for the effect.

"Information technology was cool, we surprised Chuck and surprised some people in line," Tatum said.

He as well fabricated it clear his Flamin' Hot BBQ flavor is still the best even if Barkley's hot dog-inspired ones are "pretty skillful."

"I'g honored to be a scrap-deal athlete," Tatum added. "That is something that is still absurd to me. Going into the gas station and seeing my face on the chips, I'd exist lying if I said I didn't buy them every once in a while."

Fortunately for Ruffles, information technology didn't have to change those numberless with Tatum's face on them since he is still a member of the Celtics through a memorable trade borderline.

Not every star remained on the same squad, though, as there was no shortage of headline moves with Kevin Durant going to the Phoenix Suns, Kyrie Irving going to the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers acquiring D'Angelo Russell in a iii-team deal that saw them ship out Russell Westbrook.

Boston traded for Mike Muscala simply was non in a position where it was going to be majorly involved in the deadline with and so few needs across the roster.

Tatum was still paying attention.

"The NBA never ceases to amaze me," he said of the flurry of trades. "Didn't see any of those coming, especially in the last couple days before the borderline. Seems like the NBA is wide open now with a lot of good teams on both sides and a lot of new faces in new places."

The NBA may be wide open up, just the Celtics are nevertheless in pole position and will likely remain in that location as long as Tatum continues playing at the level he has this season.

Source: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10066110-br-interview-celtics-jayson-tatum-on-mvp-race-all-star-game-trade-deadline-more