
#Celtics score full
Tatum does, and still he’s likely to become the first Celtic ever to average 30 points per game over a full season. The likes of Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo have to score so many points because they don’t have as much help. The NBA in 2022-23 has fewer superstar team-ups than at any other point in the recent past-which, as an aside, could help explain so many of the superstar explosions we’ve seen this season. That fallback option gives Boston an advantage that most other teams with MVP candidates don’t possess.
#Celtics score plus
In the five games in which Boston has received the least production from Tatum-three games he missed, plus relative clunkers against the Heat and Warriors-Brown has boosted his scoring to 31 points per game on 61 percent true shooting. (The top player overall by this metric, for curious readers, is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, with 42 games as the Thunder’s leading scorer.) But the important point is that on the rare occasions when Tatum falters, Brown is able to pick up the slack. Tatum naturally leads the way, with 28 games as Boston’s sole top scorer versus Brown’s 18. Every other team has had at least four leading scorers, with a league average of 6.7 unique leaders. Unlike most other pairings, which involve players like Durant, Irving, Davis, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and Khris Middleton-who have all missed large swaths of this season-both Tatum and Brown are regularly healthy and reliable.Īnd so far this season, either Tatum or Brown (or both, on five occasions when they’ve tied) has led the Celtics in scoring every single game. Perhaps the most remarkable component of the Celtics’ star duo is its consistency. So as the Celtics and the Durant-less Nets prepare to clash Wednesday night on national TV, it’s as good a time as any to take stock of the improvements from Tatum and Brown that have their team on a path toward Finals redemption this summer.

Only four other times in league history have two teammates each averaged 27-plus points per game while qualifying for the official leaderboard: (The Los Angeles Lakers would slot here as well if Anthony Davis had played enough games to qualify and pair with LeBron James.) The Brooklyn Nets, with Kevin Durant in ninth place and Kyrie Irving 11th, are the only other team this season with multiple players in the top 20. Tatum ranks fourth in the league in scoring at 31.1 points per game, while Brown places 14th among qualified players at 27.0. Is Scottie Barnes Ready to Spread His (Big) Wings? Can the Blazers Escape the Middle With a Trade?
