Jayson Tatum not only led the Boston Celtics to a huge win over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of their playoff series, but he also made history in the process that would have made Kobe Bryant proud.
Tatum dropped 25 points, 11 rebounds and two assists in the Celtics' 112-99 victory over the Hawks on Saturday. He shot 10-of-23 from the field, including 3-of-7 from deep as the Celtics led by as much as 32 points in the contest.
With his production, Tatum now joins an exclusive list of players who has 50 playoff games where they scored 20 or more points before turning 26 years old. The 25-year-old Tatum is only the fourth player to do so after Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kevin Durant, per ESPN Stats & Info.
That not a bad list to be part of. In fact, it's truly amazing for anyone to be mentioned in the same breathe as the trio who are some of the best basketball players to ever step foot on the NBA hardwood.
Jayson Tatum's latest achievement also speaks volumes of how impactful he has been for the Celtics ever since arriving in 2017. He has never missed the playoffs throughout his NBA career, and right in his rookie season, he has already been phenomenal for the franchise.
Saturday's contest is Tatum's 75th playoff game. With his latest scoring exploits, he now has 1718 postseason points, which is the second-most for a Celtic in a similar span. Only Larry Bird has more with 1790, proving how reliable of a scorer he has been for the Beantown team.
Tatum is definitely built for the playoffs, and if he can maintain his production, the Celtics should be able to easily handle the Hawks in the first round.
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