How Jayson Tatum can win 2022 NBA Finals MVP

The 2022 NBA Finals are set with the Boston Celtics taking on the Golden State Warriors. Game 1 of the series is on Thursday, June 2. The game will tip at 9:00 p.m. ET from San Francisco, California. The Warriors are returning to the Finals for the first time since 2019, while the Celtics are making their first trip to the Finals since 2010.

We’re going to take a look at some prominent players in the series on both teams and how they’ll impact the matchup. Here’s a look at Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum as he enters his first NBA Finals.

Jayson Tatum overview

Postseason stats: 27.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 5.9 apg, 44.6 FG%, 37.5 3P%, 83.3 FT%

Tatum has taken his game to a new level during the postseason. He’s been more consistent, and he’s turned into a leader and a player who appears to be ready for the big stage. The first team All-NBA selection has gone toe to toe with Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokoumnpo, and Jimmy Butler during the postseason and held his own. While there have been times where Tatum has some bad stretches with turnovers or bad shots, he’s play well for the majority of the time.

Odds entering NBA Finals (via DraftKings Sportsbook)

Finals MVP: +170
Scoring leader: -125
Rebounding leader: +950
Assists leader: +425
3PM leader: +250

How Jayson Tatum can win Finals MVP

Tatum can win if his team wins the NBA Finals, and he continues to play the way he has through the first three series. He won the first-ever Eastern conference finals MVP award for being the best player on the winning team. To be honest, there isn’t scenario where the Celtics could win the series without Tatum playing at an MVP level. That’s why he’s only behind Stephen Curry in Finals MVP odds.