Boston Celtics are facing questions about their offensive rhythm following Jayson Tatum's return, with Tracy McGrady suggesting the team looks out of sync.
The recent struggles of the Boston Celtics have sparked discussion, and Tracy McGrady believes the return of Jayson Tatum could be affecting the team's flow on offense.
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Boston dropped a 102-92 game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were without their top scorer Anthony Edwards. The loss came shortly after a shaky performance against the Memphis Grizzlies, raising concerns about consistency. McGrady pointed to a visible drop in offensive rhythm since Tatum came back into the lineup.
"I don't want to say it seems out of whack, but their shooting has gone down since he's [Tatum] been here," McGrady said per NBA on NBC.
"It's really like 'guys, what are we doing here? Are we running the same stuff that we ran before? Are we still on the same page? Or are we divided because we're not playing our same game?' Im sure that there's a lot mentally that these guys are going through because of the insertion of JT, and them not playing the same type of basketball that they played individually, not shooting the ball very well."
"They struggled against Memphis the other night, and they struggled tonight against a team that didn't have its best player. "Im sure there are some questions these guys have to answer," he concluded.
The numbers show a slight dip. Since Tatum returned on March 6, the Celtics are 5-3 with an offensive rating of 115.1. They are averaging 111.9 points and 24.3 assists per game, while outscoring opponents by 6.1 points.
Before his return, Boston looked more efficient. The team went 42-20 with a 119.9 offensive rating, putting up 114.5 points per game and outscoring teams by 7.3 points.
Tatum himself is still producing, but not at his usual level. In eight games since coming back, he is averaging 19.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while shooting 38.8 percent from the field and 29.3 percent from three.
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