Celtics star Jayson Tatum made a strong NBA MVP case early in the season, originally appearing on NBC Sports Boston

The last Boston Celtics player to win the NBA MVP award was Larry Bird during the historic 1985-86 season. It was his third straight MVP win.

Will the Celtics’ MVP drought finally end this season?

It’s still too early to get a definitive picture, but Jayson Tatum is putting together a pretty strong case.

Tatum helped the Celtics erase a double-digit deficit in a 113-107 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on the road on Sunday, improving Boston’s record to 9-2. The superstar wing scored 31 points with 12 rebounds and six assists. Twelve of his points came in the fourth quarter.

Tatum is currently fourth in the league MVP odds (+550) at Fanatics Sportsbook. There are three players ahead of him: Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (+450), Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+325) and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (+225).

Tatum leads the Celtics in points (30.5), rebounds (7.6), assists (5.0) and steals (1.6) per game this season. He and Jokic are the only two players in the league currently leading their team in all four per-game statistics.

The 26-year-old forward has only had one bad game (by his standards) so far this season. He scored 15 points on 6-for-16 shooting against the Milwaukee Bucks on October 28, but the C’s still won 119–108.

Tatum has surpassed the 30-point mark in seven of 11 games, including each of the last three. He became the first player in Celtics history to average more than 30 points per game for a full season in 2022-23, and he’s on pace to do that again.

Tatum actually leads the league in points scored:

1. Jayson Tatum Celtics: 336 points

2. Nikola Jokić, Nuggets: 297

3. LaMelo Ball, hornets: 294

4. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks: 284

5. Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves: 283

Jokic, who has won three of the last four MVP awards, will be tough to beat for this award. He is currently putting together an absurd statistical line, leading the Nuggets with 29.7 points, 13.7 rebounds, 11.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks per game, while also putting up 56.3 points from the floor and 56.4 percent shooting from 3-point range. Denver has a 7-3 record as of Monday.

However, Tatum’s resume is strong. He is the best player on the best team in the league. And Tatum has been in the MVP mix before. He finished in the top six three years in a row.

• 2021-22: Sixth

• 2022-23: Fourth

• 2023-24: Sixth

This year’s MVP race is going to be a lot of fun. There are so many players who probably have a strong case. If Tatum continues to play at this level, he should at least be one of the top prospects come April.