The Boston Celtics are still on top of the Eastern Conference food chain. While they aren't the best team by record, they're pretty close to their rival Philadelphia 76ers. A big part of that is the effect that Jayson Tatum brings to the table. The All-Star forward has been the driving force behind Boston's continued success this decade.

After completely demolishing the Toronto Raptors on Saturday, Tatum once again proved why he's arguably the most important player on the Celtics. In a twenty-point blowout, Tatum was a whopping +40 for Boston. That makes him the first player this season to post a plus-minus of 40. Additonally… Tatum becomes the first player this season to reach a cumulative plus-minus of 150, per StatMuse.

“Fun Fact: Nobody has more games with a +/- of +40 than Jayson Tatum over the last 20 seasons.”

Plus-minus can be a tricky stat to put into context. It can be a bit noisy, and it isn't always a reliable indicator of a player's impact. It can be heavily affected by a player's teammates. However, if there's a consistent pattern like we see for the Celtics and Jayson Tatum, we can be fairly certain of the player's impact. Tatum's ability to score in bunches, his growth as a playmaker, and his versatility on defense makes him a true force on the court.

The Celtics have long been knocking at the door of a championship. Tatum and the others have been there, coming up just short against the Warriors a few years ago. With a few new faces around, is this the season where they finally make it to the top of the mountain?