After six playoff games, Jayson Tatum is still waiting to exceed 30 points. But more striking than the lack of big outings on his part, it is his address which is worrying. The Boston All-Star only shoots at 40% success and 25% at 3-points.
The proof with his Game 1 against Cleveland where he scored only 18 points at 7/19 shooting, and no winning basket scored in five attempts.
“He doesn’t have to force things,” analyzes his coach Joe Mazzulla. “In this game, when he set a screen, we scored 1.6 points per possession. With such a number, we are the best attack in the history of basketball. He potentially made 11 assists (5 total), with his 18 points and 3 blocks. So I think he does a great job of taking what the defense offers and making an impact on both ends of the floor. We need that and he does it very well. »
With his 10.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists on average since the start of serious things, Jayson Tatum is indeed making other efforts to compensate for his clumsiness and his average performances, he who is averaging only 21.2 points. “He becomes a player who makes the game, or he is in this role of creating the game. We are not going to say that he sacrifices himself, but he makes a lot of right choices”estimates Jrue Holiday.
Boston's offense always runs better with him
More importantly, having their All-Star at this level is not a black spot for the Celtics at the moment. When he's on the court, Boston's offense averages 126.4 points per 100 possessions. Without him? The efficiency drops to 101.7 points. Anecdote: his best match, Game 2 against Miami (28 points at 50% shooting), corresponds to his team's only defeat…
Above all, these last two seasons, when Jayson Tatum was less sharp, the Celts were in tough times and lost a lot (7-8 when he was less than 40% successful; 4-6 with less than 20 points). This season in the playoffs, when he shot less than 40%, Boston is a perfect 4-0. And for two meetings, it has not exceeded 20 units, but there are two successes at the end.
“Players can have bad evenings when it comes to skill. But what does he do then? He defends, circulates the ball and that gives assists and big rebounds,” rejoices Payton Pritchard. “We are focused on the shots, but there are other areas to have influence. And if he finishes with 18 points but we win by 25 points, then he had a big impact. »
| Jayson Tatum | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2017-18 | BOS | 80 | 31 | 47.5 | 43.4 | 82.6 | 0.6 | 4.4 | 5.0 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 13.9 |
| 2018-19 | BOS | 79 | 31 | 45.0 | 37.3 | 85.5 | 0.9 | 5.2 | 6.0 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 15.7 |
| 2019-20 | BOS | 66 | 34 | 45.0 | 40.3 | 81.2 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 3.0 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 23.4 |
| 2020-21 | BOS | 64 | 36 | 45.9 | 38.6 | 86.8 | 0.8 | 6.6 | 7.4 | 4.3 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 26.4 |
| 2021-22 | BOS | 76 | 36 | 45.3 | 35.3 | 85.3 | 1.1 | 6.9 | 8.0 | 4.4 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 26.9 |
| 2022-23 | BOS | 74 | 37 | 46.6 | 35.0 | 85.4 | 1.1 | 7.7 | 8.8 | 4.6 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 30.1 |
| 2023-24 | BOS | 74 | 36 | 47.1 | 37.6 | 83.3 | 0.9 | 7.2 | 8.1 | 4.9 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 26.9 |
| Total | 513 | 34 | 46.0 | 37.5 | 84.4 | 0.9 | 6.3 | 7.2 | 3.5 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 23.1 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
