“Celtics’ Jayson Tatum is honest about MVP desire despite hot start”

Tatum hasn’t been shy about expressing his desire to be MVP in the past. But last season he seemed to be almost entirely focused on helping the Celtics overcome the crisis and win a title. For example, his scoring dropped significantly as the talent around him improved.

Now that Tatum has a title, winning an MVP is one of the few things he has yet to accomplish in his already stellar NBA career. He even admitted that it’s on his checklist of things he wants to accomplish before the season starts.

This year could be Tatum’s best opportunity to win the award. He entered the year as one of the few favorites for the MVP title and made a name for himself early on. He was dominant in the Celtics’ first two wins of the regular season, scoring 31 points per game while shooting 60 percent from the field and 72.7 percent from long range. He also added eight assists and 7.5 rebounds per game, having not played a minute in the fourth quarter.

Tatum’s hot start has already dramatically improved his chances of winning MVP. He’s gone from +1500 to +650 to win the award at DraftKings Sportsbook, giving him the fourth-best odds to win MVP.

Analysts have also noted Tatum’s strong start and believe he could be more of a legitimate MVP candidate this year than in recent years, when he finished fourth in the voting.

“He fixed the trailer hitch [in his shot]said The Ringer’s Bill Simmons on his podcast of the same name. “Something strange happened when he shot. … He fixed the problem and I just want to thank Steve Kerr because I think Steve Kerr hurt him by not competing against him in the Olympics. By the way, Tatum really didn’t deserve to compete in the Olympics.

“[Tatum] would have been a great choice [to win MVP before the season]. The reason none of us wanted to pick him was because we didn’t know what his shot would be. His shot was simply better two or three years ago than last year. Now that his shot looks like it’s back, you start looking [at prior MVP winners]. He turns 27 this year. Boys from the 27th class, in general, this is the year.”

Tatum’s shooting looked noticeably smoother in the first two games compared to last season. NBC Sports Boston analyst Eddie House noted that Tatum’s release appears to be quicker.

However, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla wants Tatum to continue to improve beyond his scoring. He believes his star is capable of it.

“I would say he dominates all facets of the game,” Mazzulla said Thursday. “I think just his ability to do what he does as far as shooting technique and finding the shots he wants to make is what’s best for him.” [and] This is the best thing for our team. High level rebounding on both ends of the floor. High level defense and playmaking.

“And he has the ability to impact the game in different ways and that should be the norm and that is a standard that he has set for himself and that he is working towards.”

Tatum, who scored 26.9 points per game on 47.1 percent shooting from the field and 37.6 percent from deep last year, said Thursday he felt like he had a “really, really good training camp” as an individual. and that the team had a “great training camp.” With both Tatum and the Celtics on a roll early in the season, he reiterated that he believes it is possible to win the MVP title while the team is contending for the title hunts.

“You can do both,” Tatum said. “Winning the championship is the most important thing, but it’s also important to be the best version of yourself.”