A few odds and ends after the Celtics had their practice snowed out in Waltham on Thursday afternoon.
Jayson Tatum named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month
The rookie was the first Celtic to earn the honor since Marcus Smart in February 2015. He averaged 14.6 points (52.9% FG, 45.1% 3-PT), 5.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 32.0 minutes over 17 games. He scored 10 or more points in 14 of those games, which led all NBA rookies during that span.
Tatum's still got some work to do to close the gap with Ben Simmons in the Rookie of the Year race, but his impact on a 31-10 team shouldn't be discounted by voters. If he continues to post those kind of efficient numbers, he's going to stay in the conversation.
Early All-Star returns
The NBA released the current vote totals for the All-Star game and four Celtics found themselves in the top-10 for their respective positions. Kyrie Irving led all Eastern Conference guards while Al Horford, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown all posted respectable showings in the fan vote.
First fan returns for NBA All-Star voting have Russell Westbrook and Paul George with the fourth- and ninth-most votes in the Western Conference, respectively. Carmelo Anthony 7th among front court players in the West. pic.twitter.com/YlBt7NVES9
— Erik Horne (@ErikHorneOK) January 4, 2018