Jayson Tatum returned from injury on March 6, having missed 298 days of basketball due to an Achilles injury. He hit the ground running, dropping 15 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and dishing out 7 assists. In total, Tatum has suited up for seven of the Celtics' last eight games.
It’s clear that Tatum is still finding his rhythm back on the court. He’s starting games slowly, struggling when shooting off the dribble, and is predominantly working in an off-ball role. However, when you consider the severity of his injury and the impact he’s making during his first few games back, you can’t help but be impressed, and it would appear Paul Pierce has been, too.
The Celtics’ legend shared his thoughts on Tatum’s return during a recent episode of the “KG Certified” podcast.
“He looks better than I expected,” Pierce said. “Like 20 points, I didn’t expect that. I expected like 14, 15, you know, low minutes. I didn’t expect him to play 28 minutes off the rip… I think the East is in trouble.”
Over his first seven games, Tatum is averaging 19.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists, shooting 39% from the field and 29.4% from deep. There’s no doubt that as he continues to get more games under his belt, his shooting splits will begin to improve, especially as he grows more comfortable in his current role.
Even with Tatum’s patchy shooting, his presence has been a significant boost for the Celtics. Boston’s offense has better spacing, the ball is moving quicker, and having Tatum as a weakside low man on offense has given the Celtics an additional rim protector when he rotates over.
We’re still in the early stages of Tatum’s comeback. Fortunately, all the signs look good. If he continues to ramp up over the next few weeks, he will likely have a solid postseason, which could propel the Celtics back to the NBA Finals.
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