The rising star remained local for high school, attending Chaminade College Prep in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Jayson Tatum provided an instant impact there. He averaged 13.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as a freshman and earned the title of 2013 Metro Catholic Conference Player of the Year. On that path, he held the Red Devils to win two district championships. The following season, his numbers just about doubled.

As a sophomore, he tallied 26 points and 11 rebounds per game.  As a junior, Tatum remained consistent, averaging 25.9 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. After joining an AAU team in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League circuit, Tatum’s scoring took a noticeable improvement.

As a senior, he poured in 29.6 points and added 9.1 rebounds per game. He also dropped 40 points on six different occasions. 

Jayson Tatum’s early years had scouts across the country drooling. The rising star came out of high school ranked as a 5-Star recruit and third overall in the recruit in the class. Tatum’s ultimate decision came down to Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, or Saint Louis. His parents were both hoping he would attend Saint Louis University, both of their alma maters. Instead, he decided to pair up with fellow top-three recruit, Harry Giles, and attend Duke University.

Tatum’s Duke career did not start off the way he wanted, as he ended up missing the first eight games of the 2016-17 season with a foot injury. In his Duke debut versus Maine, Tatum tallied 10 points in a blowout win. His first big game came just three days later where he poured in 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a win over Florida. His season-high game came on February 15. Jayson poured in 28 points in a big victory over the defensive savvy Virginia Cavaliers, while also adding eight rebounds.

Tatum had a superb ACC Tournament, as he averaged 22 points and 7.5 rebounds on his way to adding another ACC Tournament Championship for the Blue Devils. However, Duke did suffer an early exit at the hands of South Carolina in the NCAA Tournament, wasting their second seed.

Tatum’s one season at Duke helped him be named to the ACC All-Freshman team and Third-Team All-ACC. He then entered the 2017 NBA Draft.

Come time for the 2017 NBA Draft, the savvy Danny Ainge was once again making questionable moves. Ainge decided to move the team’s #1 overall pick in a trade, hoping to add another pick while still getting the player he desired. It seems like Ainge’s plans worked out once again, as the Boston Celtics drafted Jayson Tatum No. 3 overall in the 2017 NBA Draft. In his Boston Celtics debut, Tatum tallied a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Shortly after that, Tatum added 24 points versus the New York Knicks on October 24. In his Playoff debut in his rookie season, Tatum added another double-double with a 19 point and 10 rebound performance versus the Milwaukee Bucks. In Game 4, he added 21 points and then topped that with 22 points in Game 6. The second round against the Philadelphia 76ers was even better for Tatum, as he tallied a career-high 28 points in Game 1. His fantastic playoff performance as a rookie put his name next to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, as the only other rookie in playoff history to score 20 or more points in 1- games of their first playoff appearances. 

The following season, 2018-19, Tatum proved that his rookie season was not a fluke. He opened up the year by recording 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists in a win over the Philadelphia 76ers. It was another solid year as he averaged 15.7 points and 6 rebounds. However, the 2019-20 season has been a new world for Tatum. He is now showing that he is not just a solid player, but instead, he is staking his claim as a superstar. On December 22, 2019, Jayson Tatum poured in 39 points against the Charlotte Hornets. He then topped this with a 41 point, career-high night, versus the Los Angeles Lakers.

Tatum was also added to his first NBA All-Star Game in the 2019-20 season.