At halftime of Sunday’s Celtics-Timberwolves game, Jayson Tatum’s point total matched his jersey number:
Zero.
The Boston star had attempted four field goals, missed all of them and drawn no fouls, resulting in a first-half stat line rarely seen in his nine-year NBA career. Across 714 career games, regular season and playoffs, Tatum has been held scoreless through two quarters 13 times, with nine of those coming in his first two seasons. Sunday’s first-half goose egg was just his second since 2021.
The path he took to get there was uncharacteristic, too. Tatum’s four field-goal attempts were his fewest in a first half in three years. The last time he was at or below that mark while also attempting zero free throws? Way back on March 5, 2020 — the Celtics’ fifth game back from the NBA’s COVID-19 hiatus.
Tatum eventually heated up during a 13-point third quarter and finished with a respectable stat line in Boston’s 102-92 loss at TD Garden (16 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals, one turnover in 31 minutes). But his quiet start was further proof that his road back from Achilles surgery didn’t end when he returned to game action on March 6.
“I’m still just trying to figure it out,” Tatum said postgame. “It’s been a long time.”
In some ways, Tatum settled back in immediately after his nearly 10-month layoff. He’s been a consistently productive defensive rebounder, and his net rating since his return (11.7) ranks second among Celtics regulars behind backup center Luka Garza. He’s averaging 19.1 points, 8.9 boards, 3.3 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.9 turnovers per game — solid numbers for someone coming off an injury of his magnitude.
Other elements of his game have been slower to develop, namely his shooting. Eight games in, Tatum has made just 38.8% of his field goals and 29.3% of his 3-pointers, both well below his usual standard. He’s also had to fight through prolonged slumps in most of his appearances thus far.
In addition to his 0-for-4 first half against Minnesota, Tatum missed his first six shots against Dallas, his first five against Washington and his first eight against Memphis. He started 2-for-9 against San Antonio and misfired on eight straight against Cleveland.
Slow starts have been common, too. He’s scored zero points in three of his eight first quarters and two in another. For context, Tatum had two scoreless first quarters in the entire 2022-23 season, two in ’23-24 and three last season.
“I wouldn’t say (it’s a) normal slump, because it’s the first time I went through something like this,” Tatum said. “I mean, it’s just been a long time. It was a long time before I could shoot a basketball, before I could walk, so just trying to knock the rust off game by game. I find great spurts and moments from game to game, and I’m just trying to put more of them together.”
That process, Tatum admitted, has been “frustrating.”
He doesn’t yet feel like his full self on the court, and that’s been difficult for the four-time first-team All-NBA selection to stomach. He’s leaned on a wide support system that includes his trainer, Nick Sang; his mother and son; and current and former NBA players to help him with the mental side of his comeback.
“I mean, it’s tough,” Tatum said. “In the moment, you try not to think about it. You just want to be Jayson Tatum and feel like yourself again. I’m not Superman, so it’s obviously going to take some time. I think the next day, I can give myself a little more grace over certain things, but in the moment, I mean, it’s frustrating.”
But Tatum is staying optimistic. He’s helped the Celtics in other ways while he works to regain his shot, and the team is 6-2 with him in the lineup.
After he put up 24 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Golden State last week — the best all-around performance since his injury last May — Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said Tatum has “given us exactly what we’re asking for and more.” The Celtics’ offense has continued to flow primarily through Jaylen Brown, who’s scored at least 29 points in five of the last six games. Timberwolves coach Chris Finch called that setup “super appropriate” and praised Tatum for his “selflessness.”
“You can see (Tatum) kind of growing in confidence every game,” Finch said before Sunday’s contest.
Boston has 11 regular-season games remaining, giving Tatum another 3 1/2 weeks of ramp-up time before the playoffs begin next month.
“I had probably the worst injury you can have, came back in 10 months and (am) getting better,” said Tatum, who will face the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night at TD Garden. “Better feel each game. I wanted to be perfect and first-team All-NBA Jayson like that, but it’s going to take time. I didn’t rush the rehab process, so I can’t rush this. It’s all going to work out.”