Jayson Tatum is the Boston Celtics' unquestioned franchise cornerstone, the type of versatile, scalable star who makes building a championship-level roster around him easy. He's yet to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy in his career, of course, but figures to have a better chance than ever this season after president of basketball operations Brad Stevens revamped Boston's roster over the summer, adding Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.

There's no doubt the Celtics' top-six—Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Porzingis, Holiday, Derrick White and Al Horford—is the best collection of talent in basketball. They've played like it so far, too, owning not just the best record in basketball at 28-7, but also a +10.8 net rating that far outpaces any other team in the league's.

Still, there's a prevailing assumption the team with the overall best player is still most likely to win a playoff series. Is Tatum, certainly a top-10 player in the world, elite enough to lead the Celtics to a championship over the likes of the Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid, Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic's Denver Nuggets?

Only time will tell, but Tatum seems more confident than ever in his individual standing league-wide. Asked after Saturday's win over the Indiana Pacers if he'd reached an “elite level of consistency as a star,” Tatum answered affirmatively.

“I think so. First team All-NBA two years in a row, so that’s kinda consistent,” he said, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic.

An MVP will surely elude Tatum again this season, and there's a chance he misses out on First Team All-NBA, too. None of that will matter if Boston wins the title, though, Tatum once and for all proving his bonafides as the best player on a championship team.