Four-time All-NBA Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum further enshrined himself among the team’s all-time legends when he scored his seventh and eighth points against the Atlanta Hawks in their ongoing Emirates NBA Cup matchup against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night.

Tatum’s 12,196 career points (and counting) rank 12th all-time among Boston’s leading scorers at the start of his eighth professional season, ahead of Hall of Fame combo forward Tommy Heinsohn’s 12,194 points in nine seasons, according to the NBC Sports Boston broadcast of the contest. . championship run. Three-time All-Star power forward Antoine Walker’s 11,386 points and Tatum’s All-Star teammate Jaylen Brown’s 10,222 career points rank among the club’s top 15 scorers.

There is no doubt that Tatum will soon surpass another Hall of Famer Celtics legend, eight-time All-Star shooting guard Bill Sharman. Tatum is now only 91 points behind. Considering the 6-foot-10 former Duke Blue Devil could achieve that feat in the next three games.

In his first 11 games with the club, he averaged 30.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists on 0.465/0.367/0.798 shooting rates. The five-time All-Star, always a great scorer and enthusiastic defender, appears to have taken a leap forward this year and has emerged as a bona fide MVP candidate this season.

Seven-time All-Star point guard Jo Jo White ranks tenth with 13,188 career points. The Hall of Fame point guard won two championships with Boston from 1969-79 before spending the final two NBA seasons with the Golden State Warrior and the then-Kansas City Kings.

Brown’s 16 points gave the Celtics a one-one lead at the quarter. Boston has a marginal 31-29 lead against the very poor Atlanta club. The reigning Finals MVP recorded 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field (1-of-4 from deep) and 3-of-4 shooting from the charity stripe, plus two rebounds. Tatum’s eight points came on an inefficient 2-of-6 shooting from the floor (1-of-4 from long range) and an inefficient 3-of-3 shooting from the foul line. He also recorded 4 rebounds and 1 assist.

While the Celtics hold a significant 5-0 advantage in fast-break points so far, the Hawks’ Trae Young-less offense has predictably thrived as a passing team, gaining a 10-6 advantage.

Boston and Atlanta find themselves in East Group A in this year’s NBA Cup celebrations, along with the 12-0 Cleveland Cavaliers, scrappy Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards. Chicago and Atlanta represent two of the fastest-paced clubs in the league, but that doesn’t seem to be much of an issue for a club as athletic and defensively adept as the defending champions.

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