These stats about Tatum’s success before 24th birthday are remarkable originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Can you believe Jayson Tatum is still only 19?
There’s a reason that joke has persisted for years: Tatum has accomplished so much at such a young age that it feels like we’re constantly talking about his youth compared to his peers.
The Boston Celtics star is in fact getting older — he turned 24 on Thursday — but the remarkable accomplishments are still coming. For some perspective on how much Tatum has achieved since the Celtics took him third overall in the 2017 NBA Draft, consider the following stats:
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Tatum racked up 216 wins with Boston before his 24th birthday, the 10th-most in NBA history. A few of the names above him on that list: Kobe Bryant, Tony Parker, LeBron James and Dwight Howard.
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Tatum’s 8,224 career points (including postseason) are the sixth-most in NBA history by an under-24 player. The five ahead of him are all current or future Hall of Famers: James, Kevin Durant, Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and Tracy McGrady.
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Tatum’s +1769 plus-minus is the second-best in NBA history by an under-24 player, trailing only Parker.
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Tatum made 764 3-pointers before his 24th birthday, the most in NBA history.
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Tatum recently passed Kevin Garnett for the third-most points scored in TD Garden history (since 1995), behind only Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker. Did we mention he’s 24?
Those numbers don’t even make mention of Tatum’s three NBA All-Star nods before his 24th birthday and the two Eastern Conference finals he’s already been to in Boston.
What’s most impressive is that Tatum still hasn’t reached his ceiling. While he’s been an elite scorer for the last two-plus seasons, Tatum has become a much better passer in Year 5, averaging 5.0 assists per game since the All-Star break.
Tatum and fellow young star Jaylen Brown likely will continue to hear criticism until they’re able to reach or win an NBA Finals. But there’s little doubt that Tatum has solidified himself as one of the best players in the league — all at the age of 19.
Check out the video above for a visual of Tatum’s impressive stats.
