Jayson Tatum was immediately thrown into the mix during his rookie season in 2017-18 for the Boston Celtics when Gordon Hayward went down with the most gruesome season-ending ankle injury.

As a result, Tatum was able to get a taste of the NBA at the very start of his career, allowing him to be on the fast track in the league. The experience showed him the different facets of his game that needed improvement and he’s done that every year since.

One element to Tatum’s game that is oftentimes overlooked is his defense. He has a defensive rating of 110.6, which ranks 12th in the NBA this season. 

On Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks, Tatum made his 300th career block, becoming the 15th player in Celtics history to have as much.

The most blocks Tatum’s had in a season is the 58 he had as a rookie. He has 48 this season and only needs 10 more to set a new career-high.

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