Jayson Tatum has taken his game to a whole new level during the Boston Celtics' recent surge.
The two-time All-Star has led the Celtics to 14 wins in their last 16 games. His last two performances arguably were his best of the season as he dropped 37 against the Memphis Grizzlies -- 21 in the fourth quarter -- and a season-high 54 against the Brooklyn Nets.
Ex-NBA player admits Tatum reminds him of Kobe Bryant
With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams!
SIGN UP HERE Tatum now is averaging 26.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists through 62 games. Since the start of the Celtics' hot streak on Jan. 29, the 24-year-old is averaging 28.2 ppg.
To our John Tomase, Tatum already is on his way to becoming an all-time Celtics great. But has his improvement been enough to put him in the NBA MVP conversation? He joined Chris Forsberg on a new episode of the Celtics Talk Podcast to discuss.
Celtics Talk Podcast: Is Jayson Tatum an MVP candidate? Who gets the credit for Celtics' turnaround? | Listen & subscribe | Watch on YouTube
Boston Celtics
Find the latest Boston Celtics news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
"He's making that leap," Tomase said. "I think coming into this year -- obviously already an All-Star, already a very good player -- you already kind of look and say, 'Alright, at this point his floor is Antoine Walker. That's a very good player, multiple-time All-Star, not necessarily a franchise great. Probably that next tier down. Probably around where Jaylen Brown is at.
"Tatum, however, has now so clearly made that leap. ... In his last 10 games, he's beaten (Nikola) Jokic, he's beaten (Joel) Embiid, he's beaten Ja Morant, he's beaten Kevin Durant, you can throw in Trae Young. So it's like, he's winning -- and I know all those teams weren't at full strength -- but he is winning head-to-head matchups with the best players in the NBA."
Forsberg: Best play from Tatum's big night didn't land in box score
Forsberg agrees that while Tatum still might not be a frontrunner in the MVP race, his recent play should at least put him in the discussion.
"The maturity, the way he's reading the game, he's in the conversation now," Forsberg said. "I'm not ready to go full MVP, but how do you argue when he's beating all these guys that are going to be at the top of that list?
"I do love the last two games -- not only that he's beaten (Ja Morant and Kevin Durant) in those matchups, but he's forcefully gone at Ja Morant and now Kevin Durant and been like, 'I'm just going to be the best player in the fourth quarter.' "
Also in the new episode: Who gets the most credit for Celtics' improbable turnaround? Have expectations changed for the Celtics in the postseason? And what to make of the Kyrie Irving ‘scorned girlfriend’ comments.
Check out the latest episode of the Celtics Talk Podcast on your favorite podcast app or watch it on YouTube below.
