NBA playoffs 2022 - How Jayson Tatum has leveled up his game for the Boston Celtics

Less than 10 days ago, the Boston Celtics were playing the biggest game of their season, facing elimination on the road against the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks. It was a crucible moment for the best young team in the Eastern Conference, and Jayson Tatum played one of the best games of his life to extend the series and save Boston's season.

Tatum went off for 46 points, shooting and scoring more than twice as many points as any of his teammates. He went toe-to-toe with Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee and led his team to its biggest win of the season.

The Celtics went on to a breezy Game 7 victory to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the third time in five years, but this trip feels different. Tatum & Co. have already eliminated Kevin Durant and Antetokounmpo in back-to-back series, as Tatum has become the face of one of the toughest young teams in recent NBA history.

At 24, Tatum is exactly what the Celtics need him to be: an elite two-way star who fits neatly within coach Ime Udoka's hard-nosed, team-first concepts. It didn't happen overnight, but since January, Tatum has played some of the best hoops of his life, and his midseason awakening is a huge reason why Boston is a real threat to take home the redesigned Larry O'Brien Trophy next month.

Before Jan. 1, Tatum was playing inefficient basketball and the Celtics were playing like a play-in team. Boston finished 2021 with a record of 17-19, tied with the New York Knicks for ninth place in the East.

And while New York's playoff hopes faded out of existence when the calendar turned to 2022, Boston went in the exact opposite direction. Since Jan. 1, Tatum has played like a legitimate superstar, and the Celtics have been arguably the best team in the