Jayson Tatum is in same NBA tier as Giannis Antetokounmpo

Perkins: Jayson Tatum is in same NBA tier as Giannis Antetokounmpo originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics dominated the Milwaukee Bucks in a 41-point win at Fiserv Forum on Thursday night, led by another excellent performance from Jayson Tatum.

The game was never close as the Celtics wrapped up the season series versus the Bucks with two victories in three games.

The showdown between Tatum and Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was decidedly one sided.

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Tatum led the Celtics with 40 points on 12-of-18 shooting (8-of-10 from 3-point range), along with eight rebounds in 31 minutes. Antetokounmpo scored just 24 points with seven rebounds and two assists. The Celtics defended Antetokounmpo very well and held him to 11-of-27 shooting. He also missed all five of his 3-point attempts.

While it’s important not to draw too many conclusions from a single matchup, Thursday night’s contest was yet another example of Tatum outplaying Antetokounmpo head-to-head.

ESPN analyst and ex-Celtics center Kendrick Perkins was clearly impressed by Tatum’s latest 40-point game. He actually sees Tatum being in the same tier as Antetokounmpo.

Check out his explanation from Friday’s episode of “First Take” in the video below:

Most people would place Antetokounmpo slightly higher than Tatum when ranking the top players in the league. In addition to his impressive stats, Antetokounmpo also has a championship ring, an NBA Finals MVP, and two league MVP awards on his resume.

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But for this year specifically, Tatum has been pretty close to Antetokounmpo in regards to elite two-way play. Antetokounmpo is averaging 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game. Tatum is averaging 30.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. The Celtics forward also shoots far better than Antetokounmpo from 3-point range and the free throw line.

The real test will come in the playoffs. The Celtics and Bucks appear to be on a collision course to meet in the Eastern Conference Finals. If Tatum outplays Antetokounmpo and leads the Celtics back to the NBA Finals, there will be no debate about whether they’re on the same tier.