Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum was among the notable young players that Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James pointed out as the future of the NBA. The timing certainly could not be any better since the pair were a cut above the rest in February.
James and Tatum were named NBA Players of the Month in their respective conferences, the league announced on Tuesday:
The Kia NBA Players of the Month for February! #KiaPOTM
West: @KingJames (@Lakers)
East: @jaytatum0 (@celtics) pic.twitter.com/7deXVrQuSY— NBA (@NBA) March 3, 2020
There is no question that both players were certainly deserving of the honor given their efforts last month. It also helps to solidify the looming passing of the torch that will come one day between James and the next generation of stars in the NBA.
James has managed to kick things up a notch since the start of the new year. He averaged 26.0 points on 49.7% shooting from the field while tacking on 8.1 rebounds and 10.1 assists per game. More importantly, he led the Lakers to a 9-2 record in February to maintain their status atop the Western Conference.
James finds himself in familiar territory after becoming the first player since the late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant to earn the award in back-to-back months. He has also set a record with his 40th monthly award in the process.
Meanwhile, Tatum continues to add to this stellar 2019-20 NBA season after earning the honor in the same month he got to take part in his first career All-Star Game. The 22-year-old put up 30.7 points on 49.4 shooting to go with 7.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.3 blocked shots per game last month.
Tatum's efforts paved the way for a 9-3 record during that span to effectively help Boston shoot up the Eastern conference standings. It is safe to say that this will be the first of many for the budding superstar.
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