Jayson Tatum is navigating some choppy waters right now. The Boston Celtics superstar is eight games into his return from an Achilles injury, and while he’s looked solid as a passer, rebounder and playmaker, his shooting splits are leaving a lot to be desired.
Tatum is currently averaging 19.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. However, he’s shooting 38.8% from the field and 29.3% from deep, despite firing up eight two-point attempts and 9.4 three-point attempts per night.
On the NBA on NBC postgame show, Hall of Fame scorer Carmelo Anthony shared some insight into how Tatum could become more effective as a scorer as he continues to navigate his road back to full fitness and an All-NBA level of performance.
“Me, personally, I would love to see JT as he’s figuring this out and getting his body back, play in this low block area a little more,” Anthony said. “Play as close as you can to the basket. You’re so big and strong, you can shoot over little guys, get in the paint. You’re too strong for these guys. Don’t try to get it back out there around the three. I want to see you get down to this spot and then you build yourself back up.”
Tatum has the post-game and the fadeaway shot to be a major weapon on the low block. His size, length and explosiveness could also allow him to beat his matchup when facing up or spinning off, depending on how his defender is playing him. However, the Celtics already have an elite interior scorer in Jaylen Brown, so running Tatum on the interior could hurt Boston’s overall spacing.
Still, Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics coaching staff may need to make some tweaks to the overall approach if they’re going to benefit from Tatum’s scoring ability. Right now, his jump shot is still a work in progress, and it may not be back until next season, depending on how his recovery goes.
Nevertheless, there’s no denying that Boston is a better team with Tatum on the court. It might be bumpy right now, but as each game passes, Tatum is getting closer to being his old self. So, any tweaks to the offensive approach would likely be short-lived.
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