Celtics' Jayson Tatum Is Already On One of the Best Stretches of His NBA Career originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Jayson Tatum is off to a scorching start this season — just not in the way you might expect.
The Boston Celtics star is averaging 24 points per game through three contests, but it's not his scoring that's stood out. It's his passing.
Tatum leads the Celtics with 24 assists through three games, giving him one of the best stretches of his career.
According to Basketball Reference, the most assists Tatum has had over a three-game stretch is 30.
Also of note: Tatum has led the Celtics in assists in each of their first three games for the first time in his career.
| Rank | Assists |
| 1. | 30 |
| 2. | 28 (2x) |
| 3. | 27 (2x) |
| 4. | 26 (4x) |
| 5. | 25 (2x) |
| 6. | 24 (5x) |
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Why Jayson Tatum's passing matters
You're not wrong if your first reaction is that three games is a tiny sample size. After all, a player most NBA fans might not know was leading the league in scoring until last night.
Still, it is notable that Tatum hasn't had many stretches like this in his 10-year career.
The Celtics need Tatum to be more than just a high-level scorer this season, particularly after trading Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers. Brown was an elite one-on-one scorer who could create his own offense. Nobody else on the roster can replicate everything Brown brought to the table as Tatum's co-star, putting an even greater offensive burden on Tatum.
That doesn't even mean Tatum needs to become a completely different player. He averaged a career-high 6.0 assists per game in the 2024-25 season and 5.3 assists per game in 2025-26. This isn't completely unprecedented for him.
But if Tatum can level up as a passer, it would make both him and the Celtics even more dangerous.
While it's still too soon to know if he has, the early returns are encouraging.