Boston’s Jayson Tatum cracks top three in Sporting News’ 2022-23 top small forwards list

No matter how you slice it, superstar Boston Celtics small forward Jayson Tatum is finally ranked among the NBA’s best players. So it should probably come as little surprise that the St. Louis native is also listed near the top of Stephen Noh’s small forwards for the 2022-23 season.

Tatum checks in at No. 3 behind only the Los Angeles Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard and Lakers’ LeBron James. Our personal bias would have the former Duke standout ahead of both, but this is a very reasonable place and context to put Tatum heading into next season.

“Tatum took his game to another level in the second half of the season and NBA playoffs before being hampered by a wrist injury in later rounds,” Noh writes. “His regular-season averages of 26.9 points, 8 rebounds and 4.4 assists had him as a sixth-place finisher in the MVP balloting. At 24 years old, he should continue to improve.”

“Behind Tatum, the Celtics are firmly in the championship conversation,” he adds.

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Story originally appeared on Celtics Wire