Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum is at the height of his powers. He secured his first title as a pro this June, won a second Olympic gold medal, and he landed on the cover of the hit basketball video game NBA 2K25.
There is one thing missing from Tatum’s resume, however. The former Duke Blue Devil has yet to win an NBA MVP award. Doing so would further cement his legacy as one of the best players from his generation. With the 2024-25 regular season just around the corner, the 26-year-old is in prime position to grab an MVP. He and the Celtics will once again be the class of the Eastern Conference. If Tatum plays to his level, will it be good enough to woo the voters and secure the hardware? The Celtics Wire decided to leverage NBA 2K25’s season simulation tool to find out.
We used the standard settings that come with the game’s single-season simulation tool. We let the computer automate rotations and injury management, and we didn’t make any roster changes during the season. We ran the simulation ten times to see if Jayson Tatum will win the NBA MVP in 2025. Here’s what we found.
Attempt No. 1
Celtics Regular season record: 56-26
Regular season MVP: Luka Doncic
Notable awards: Jayson Tatum: All-NBA Second TeamJaylen Brown: Clutch Player of the Year, All-NBA Third TeamJrue Holiday: All-Defensive First TeamRecap:Tatum suffered back spasms, which may have contributed to a slightly down season. Regardless, Boston was the top seed in the East heading into the playoffs.
Here Tatum made his mark. He won the Conference Finals MVP award, leading the Celtics back to a return trip to the finals. Boston would eventually fall in seven games to Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Attempt No. 2
Celtics Regular season record: 63-19
Regular season MVP: Luka Doncic
Notable awards: Jayson Tatum: All-NBA Third TeamJaylen Brown: All-NBA Second TeamDerrick White: All-Defensive Second TeamRecap: Boston dealt with a number of injuries in this simulation. Holiday, Payton Pritchard, and Sam Hauser each missed extended time before Derrick White was lost for the season in March with a torn tricep.
Things went from bad to worse for the Celtics in the playoffs, despite a monster regular season record. They struggled against the Chicago Bulls in the first round, and fell to the Miami Heat in the second round.
Attempt No. 3
Celtics Regular season record: 58-24
Regular season MVP: Luka Doncic
Notable awards: Jayson Tatum: All-NBA Second TeamJaylen Brown: All-NBA Third TeamJrue Holiday: All-Defensive First TeamRecap: Once again, Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic was selected by the game as the regular season MVP by the simulation. This was far from the biggest problem for the Celtics.
Tatum suffered a broken wrist in the final week of the season, a devastating blow for the Celtics ahead of the playoffs. Xavier Tillman Sr. and Derrick White were also sidelined by injury, and Boston fell to the Toronto Raptors in six games in the first round of playoffs. Yikes.
Attempt No. 4
Celtics Regular season record: 62-20
Regular season MVP: Luka Doncic
Notable awards: Jayson Tatum: All-NBA Second TeamJaylen Brown: All-NBA Second TeamJrue Holiday: All-Defensive First TeamDerrick White: All-Defensive Second TeamJoe Mazzulla: Coach of the YearRecap: After four attempts, the Celtics won the NBA title in our 2K simulation of the 2024-25 season. Boston defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. Tatum won the MVP award for the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals MVP.
It was our most fruitful simulation for the Celtics, who won a litany of awards. But a regular season MVP still evades Tatum, and once against lands in Dallas. It’s very possible that without manipulating the rotations, the game doesn’t give Tatum enough responsibility in the simulation to earn MVP honors.
Attempt No. 5
Celtics Regular season record: 53-29
Regular season MVP: Luka Doncic
Notable awards: Jayson Tatum: All-NBA Second TeamJaylen Brown: All-NBA Third TeamJrue Holiday: All-Defensive First TeamDerrick White: All-Defensive First TeamRecap: Injuries were a big challenge for the Celtics in this season, and a four seed is their worst showing thus far in our experiment. Losing Kristaps Porzingis in the conference finals to a knee injury was the icing on the cake, and Boston fell in six games to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Doncic won yet another MVP. If it’s any consolation for salty Celtics fans, the Mavericks haven’t made the finals once thus far in our experiment.
Attempt No. 6
Celtics Regular season record: 45-37
Regular season MVP: Luka Doncic
Notable awards: Jayson Tatum: All-NBA Second TeamJaylen Brown: All-NBA Second TeamJrue Holiday: All-Defensive First TeamAnton Watson: All-Rookie Second TeamRecap: Anton Watson earned a surprise All-Rookie Second Team nod, the best outcome in what was an otherwise choppy season for our simulated Celtics. Injuries were once again a big impediment for Boston, although they were able to advance to the conference finals before falling to the New York Knicks. On the other side of the bracket, Doncic and his MVP award didn’t make it out of the first round.
Attempt No. 7
Celtics Regular season record:
Regular season MVP:
Notable awards: Jayson Tatum: All-NBA Second TeamJrue Holiday: All-Defensive First TeamDerrick White: All-Defensive Second TeamAnton Watson: All-Rookie Second TeamRecap: Despite winning seven consecutive MVPs, this was the first time the Doncic and the Mavericks have made it to the finals in our simulation. Dallas defeated the Heat in six games.
For the Celtics, another Porzingis injury ushered in an early postseason exit. Despite a top seed, Boston didn’t make it past the second round. Congratulations to Anton Watson for earning another bid to the All-Rookie Second Team.
Attempt No. 8
Celtics Regular season record: 48-34
Regular season MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Notable awards: Jayson Tatum: All-NBA Second TeamDerrick White: All-Defensive Second TeamAnton Watson: All-Rookie Second TeamRecap:
For the first time in our experiment, we had a new MVP, although Tatum didn’t end up with the hardware. Anton Watson did make All-Rookie Second Team for a third straight time, so maybe the game was beginning to have issues.
Speaking of issues, Brown broke his leg in March. Boston was bounced in the second round once again.
Attempt No. 9
Celtics Regular season record: 58-24
Regular season MVP: Jayson Tatum (!!!!)
Notable awards: Jayson Tatum: All-NBA First TeamJrue Holiday: All-Defensive First TeamDerrick White: All-Defensive First TeamRecap:
We finally saw Jayson Tatum win an MVP here, thanks to some special circumstances. Brown was sidelined for two months with knee tendinitis starting in January. Shortly thereafter, Hauser missed a few weeks with a wrist sprain. This likely gave Tatum the clearance to take over and play like a deserving MVP.
Brown returned in March, only to miss the rest of the season and the playoffs with a back injury two weeks later. Boston didn’t make it out of the first round. Do with that what you will.
For posterity, we ran the simulation for a tenth and final time. These are the results.
Attempt No. 10
Celtics Regular season record: 57-25
Regular season MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Notable awards: Jayson Tatum: All-NBA Second TeamJrue Holiday: All-Defensive First TeamDerrick White: All-Defensive Second TeamAnton Watson: All-Rookie Second TeamRecap:
The Celtics were banged up all season long, with different guys missing various chunks of the season with moderate injuries. This resulted in a down year for Boston, although rookie sensation Anton Watson came up big once again.
At full health, the Celtics looked much more like themselves in the playoffs. Boston returned to the Finals, with Jaylen Brown winning conference finals MVP. This was as far as things went for the guys in green, and the Celtics fell to the Thunder in six games.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Will Jayson Tatum win MVP award in 2025? We used NBA 2K25 to find out