A look back at the March & April for Jayson Tatum, who has played at an MVP-level in leading the Celtics to rocket up the Eastern Conference
Jayson Tatum may have just gotten some extra bulletin board material.
The NBA revealed its final Player of the Month awards Tuesday for games played in March and April, and Eastern Conference winner is not the Boston Celtics star but Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
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Antetokounmpo's numbers are pretty incredible: He averaged 31.5 points, 12.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists over 16 games in March and April, thrusting himself into the NBA MVP conversation while helping the Bucks finish as the No. 3 seed in the East.
But there's certainly a case for Tatum, who seemed like a lock for Player of the Month after earning NBA Player of the Week honors three times in March alone (to Antetokounmpo's zero).
Tatum's confidence is sky-high for Celtics entering postseason
The 24-year-old averaged 32.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists over 13 games in March and was the biggest reason why Boston went 15-4 down the stretch to overtake Milwaukee for the East's No. 2 seed. He also missed just two games in March and April compared to Giannis' four.
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If this award was for March alone, Tatum likely would have won it. But the Celtics star averaged "only" 25 points per game over four April contests, which may have opened the door just enough for Antetokounmpo.
The Celtics' focus is far from individual awards right now as they gear up for the winner of the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Brooklyn Nets play-in tournament matchup Tuesday night.
NBA stars find motivation in all forms, however, and considering how Tatum feels about his own abilities, this "snub" may add some fuel to his fire.