At 27 years old, Jayson Tatum is already one of the more accomplished players in Boston Celtics history. That's impressive, given the number of Hall of Fame players who have played for the Celtics since the 1950s.
Among his accomplishments are making four consecutive All-NBA first teams from 2022 to 2025—to go with an All-NBA third team back in 2020—on top of being a six-time All-Star, an Eastern Conference finals MVP, and, of course, an NBA champion.
Despite his expensive list of accomplishments, one of the feats that Tatum hasn't accomplished is winning the NBA's Most Valuable Player award.
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0).
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0).
Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Former Celtics player and coach Evan Turner reacted to this fact following the announcement that Tatum has made his fourth consecutive All-NBA first team. Turner took to his X account to express his disbelief over Tatum never being a finalist for MVP, despite his run as one of the league's premier players.
"4 straight 1st team all NBA and never a finalist for mvp is insane!" Turner wrote.
Like Tatum, Turner was a high lottery pick when he entered the NBA. The Philadelphia 76ers picked him with the No. 2 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, but Turner did not live up to the billing.
After his time with the Sixers and a brief time with the Indiana Pacers was done, he played for the Celtics from 2014 to 2016. After that, he never played for the Celtics again, but he returned to the team as an assistant coach for the 2020-21 season after his stints with the Portland Trail Blazers and Atlanta Hawks.
Though it was only for one year, he coached Tatum as part of Brad Stevens' coaching staff.