Is Jayson Tatum Playing Tonight vs Sixers? Celtics Release Availability Ahead of Clash With Joel Embiid And Co

Jayson Tatum is in the midst of an MVP-caliber season and the best year of his career. The Boston Celtics are rolling at 43-17 right now.

Many NBA fans didn’t quite believe the hype around Jayson Tatum during his first 2 years. His playoff run as a rookie notwithstanding, it was thought that once the scouting reports kicked in, he’d be found out by opposing defenses.

This notion turned out to be true for a large part of his 2nd season. Tatum hoisted too many iso mid-range jumpers for the good of his team’s spacing. They were over-reliant on Kyrie Irving for the most part that year.

However, with Kyrie departing that offseason, Tatum raised his game to an All-Star level the following season. He also made his first All-NBA team that year with a Third Team selection.

Since then, Tatum has averaged over 26 ppg in each of his 3 seasons. His Finals run last season, despite a less-than-stellar performance at that level, seems to have infused even more confidence in him. His 30.6 ppg average is by far the highest of his career.

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How Celtics line up alongside Jayson Tatum tonight

Barring injuries in the pre-game warmup, Tatum will take floor for their marquee matchup tonight. The Philadelphia 76ers are rolling themselves, staking their claim for the #1 seed.

With Marcus Smart back in action, the Celtics have more options at their PG spot now. Given that they’re facing a dominant 7-footer in Joel Embiid, we can expect them to use a bigger starting lineup.

It seems likely that Smart, Jaylen Brown, Tatum, Al Horford and Rob Williams will be their starting 5 tonight. Horford has done quite well in his matchups with Joel in the past. His presence will definitely be needed for a strong Celtics game.

The only player on the Celtics’ injury report is Danilo Gallinari. Gallo is likely to be out for the season with an injured knee, though he hopes to be back for the playoffs.

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Tatum stats this season

Jayson Tatum is averaging 30.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game this season. The Celtics forward is averaging his highest field goal percentage since his rookie season at 46.2%.

Tatum has a net rating of 9.3 points per 100 possessions this year. The Celtics offense has largely cratered without him on the floor, dipping by over 11 points per 100 posssessions when he’s on the bench.