Jayson Tatum's Rise to the Top

[Auger34]

JT was 7-19 last night. He was 0-5 from 3P so he was 7-14 from 2P, which isn't bad. By my count he had:

• 2 turnaround jump shots - one was a baseline 15' that he normally makes and the other was one where he spun right (which he doesn't usually do) and made it.
• 2 one-legged fadeaways; both were about 15 feet and one was over Strus that he makes all of the time.
• 1 18' pull-up that he made

That's five shots (2-5). The other 9 shots were in the paint and consisted of:

• 3 reverse lay-ups: one which he made; one which he missed but got the rebound and made the follow; and one he missed but Luke slammed home the follow (collectively, 2-4)
• 2 floaters - one he made and the other he got the rebound but missed a bunny (and he thought he was hacked because he followed Strus on the rebound (1-3)
• a dunk on a nice feed from Luke (1-1)
• a layup as the roll man from a DW PnR (1-1)

I don't think that 5 mid-range shots are settling. Only one was really contested (by Mobley, who left his guy to help Mitchell).

He's not shooting well but I don't think his shot selections was horrible.

Unfortuntaely, I don't have DVR so I can't watch a recording but I wonder how many of those shots he took where he got one pass and then held/dribbled the ball before shooting.
I believe there were 3-4?

I bolded the pull-up that he made because I distinctly remember it being a good offensive play and different than the rest of his jumpers. I believe it was in the 4th quarter and he got the ball at the top of the key, pump faked, then calmly took one dribble and drilled a pull-up. It was very in control.

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

Unfortuntaely, I don't have DVR so I can't watch a recording but I wonder how many of those shots he took where he got one pass and then held/dribbled the ball before shooting.
I believe there were 3-4?

I bolded the pull-up that he made because I distinctly remember it being a good offensive play and different than the rest of his jumpers. I believe it was in the 4th quarter and he got the ball at the top of the key, pump faked, then calmly took one dribble and drilled a pull-up. It was very in control.

You can look at the shots on NBA.com. Basically, when he got matched up vs Strus or Mitchell, he went 1 v 1 to either get the clean look or draw help. He just didn’t hit them.

 

[Eric Fernsten's Disco Mustache]

In the context of Tatum evaluation... the Dunker's Spot guys... really get basketball as an ecosystem... If the Celtics keep winning, I expect the rest of the narrative to catch up

Agree and would especially second the bolded part

I don't pay nearly as much attention to the NBA media as I did years ago (job change, parenting, blah blah blah) so I've probably gotten somewhat out of date, but it used to be at least that one way smart takes made there way into the mainstream was that folks like Nekias would make a point, than the smarter end of the higher-profile names (Lowe, JJ Reddick) would quote him and talk more about it, and then a while later you'd hear Doris Burke saying it on a broadcast

In the world where the next month goes well, I'm assuming the meta narrative about the Celtics is going to start shifting (with people adding a bunch of caveats) during the ECF and the first half of the Finals. And then if we win the Finals, the second half of the game that we win will be when all the caveats get dropped.

 

[lovegtm]

Agree and would especially second the bolded part

I don't pay nearly as much attention to the NBA media as I did years ago (job change, parenting, blah blah blah) so I've probably gotten somewhat out of date, but it used to be at least that one way smart takes made there way into the mainstream was that folks like Nekias would make a point, than the smarter end of the higher-profile names (Lowe, JJ Reddick) would quote him and talk more about it, and then a while later you'd hear Doris Burke saying it on a broadcast

In the world where the next month goes well, I'm assuming the meta narrative about the Celtics is going to start shifting (with people adding a bunch of caveats) during the ECF and the first half of the Finals. And then if we win the Finals, the second half of the game that we win will be when all the caveats get dropped.

Yes, if they keep winning, JJ and Ben Taylor will
pick it up next, and it will snowball from there. Maybe to the point of being over-talked-about.

At that point, I'll flip to being a bit more negative on Tatum, for the same reason that I'll try to stay more positive on Ant when his jumper goes cold for a bit.

 

[InstaFace]

Nik with a Tatum-doing-it-all agenda video:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8DVSvsWaB8

 

[tims4wins]

View: https://twitter.com/bostonsportsinf/status/1788742244406632495?s=46&t=7ZORuHTX_dwCfmhQ3H6fhg

 

[bosockboy]

Rebounds and assists up, shooting and scoring down.

Maybe he’s just not being aggressive enough. We aren’t winning with him at 21 PPG.

 

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

View: https://twitter.com/bostonsportsinf/status/1788742244406632495?s=46&t=7ZORuHTX_dwCfmhQ3H6fhg

This is my corner. Fuck off.

 

[jmcc5400]

Rebounds and assists up, shooting and scoring down.

Maybe he’s just not being aggressive enough. We aren’t winning with him at 21 PPG.

View attachment 82389

He went to the line 11 times. I thought he was pretty aggressive driving the ball and had a couple of layups rim out - it happens. 6 assists to 1 turnover. I'm not suggesting it was his best game, but I didn't think he was the problem tonight.

 

[bosockboy]

He went to the line 11 times. I thought he was pretty aggressive driving the ball and had a couple of layups rim out - it happens. 6 assists to 1 turnover. I'm not suggesting it was his best game, but I didn't think he was the problem tonight.

Put a different way-can they win a ring with Tatum shooting 40%? Maybe they can.

 

[jmcc5400]

Put a different way-can they win a ring with Tatum shooting 40%? Maybe they can.

Oh, I don't think so. I was just talking about tonight. If one of those lay-ups he missed goes down, he's 6-12 from two, 2-5 from three and 9-11 from the line. That seems adequate if others are pulling their weight. But it definitely would be nice if he could go supernova for a game or two - those highlights from 2022 G6 against Milwaukee made me wistful.

 

[Euclis20]

As infuriating as it is to see Max Strus (a smaller, slower, weaker defender) do a pretty decent job keeping Tatum in check, it makes a certain kind of sense. Even as he ages, Al Horford does a pretty good job on Embiid, and the simple reason is because he's played against him so much that he knows all of his moves, knows when he's pump faking, knows which way he'll spin, etc. Strus has played more games against Tatum than any other player in the league (tied with Derrick White), at this point Tatum's not getting anything cheap off him because Strus knows everything he's going to do. It feels like every other player on the cavs is in trouble if they get matched up with Tatum, but not Strus.

 

[RorschachsMask]

33/13/6 and dominant defense, I’ve missed high usage Tatum.

 

[SeoulSoxFan]

13 reb with 12 coming from the defensive end. Tatum was tremendous tonight.

 

[Auger34]

Great game. I’m especially excited because he was pretty shitty in the 4th.

 

[riboflav]

Great game. I’m especially excited because he was pretty shitty in the 4th.

Better than Mitchell who was horrid in the 4th.

 

[Euclis20]

Better than Mitchell who was horrid in the 4th.

Yeah, Mitchell absolutely kept them alive for 3 quarters, but he just collapsed in the 4th. Garland finally woke up (hopefully not the start of a trend), but they needed superstar Mitchell for the whole game to win.

 

[SeoulSoxFan]

Yeah, Mitchell absolutely kept them alive for 3 quarters, but he just collapsed in the 4th. Garland finally woke up (hopefully not the start of a trend), but they needed superstar Mitchell for the whole game to win.

Mitchell played 43 minutes, the most out of all players (Tatum 42 & Brown 41). I thought throwing Jru, White, Brown etc. at Mitchell tired him out as his shots started to fall short in the 4th.

 

[RorschachsMask]

View: https://twitter.com/jackfrank_jjf/status/1789468807230029881

 

[riboflav]

To me, his rebounding was better than it's been during the playoffs which was already good and it started several fast break chances.

 

[riboflav]

Also, when Mitchell disappeared in the 4th he didn't find other ways to impact the game like Tatum was able to do.

 

[jezza1918]

Playoff games with 20 pts/10 reb/5 asst. Tatum now at 24 tied with Russell and Malone. Lebron is quite ahead of the field.

 

[SeoulSoxFan]

To me, his rebounding was better than it's been during the playoffs which was already good and it started several fast break chances.

Tatum is averaging exactly at 10.0 REB/GM which is good for 5th among all remaining players (and 8th including eliminated teams).

 

[lovegtm]

Also, when Mitchell disappeared in the 4th he didn't find other ways to impact the game like Tatum was able to do.

Yes, and that's because impacting the game in other ways is hard! Elite players are trying their best to stop you from impacting the game in those ways.

Also, both he and Mitchell were pretty gassed on offense by the end. Obviously Mitchell was carrying the whole load for Cleveland, but Tatum was also driving a ton more than he usually does, and it seemed to wear on him by the 4th.

 

[TripleOT]

Mazzulla played JT the entire first and third quarter, and the entire fourth quarter, except for the last 56 seconds of garbage time. He also played JB the entire third quarter.

Tatum was 6-7 at the rim, 2-8 from three, and 3-10 mid-range. He got fouled four times on drives, plus an and one. 21 points on 11 drives to the hoop, and 12 points on 18 non-rim shots.

 

[InstaFace]

Tatum was 6-7 at the rim, 2-8 from three, and 3-10 mid-range. He got fouled four times on drives, plus an and one. 21 points on 11 drives to the hoop, and 12 points on 18 non-rim shots.

Does that translate into a more efficient game for him, or was he about as good with the ball as he's been the rest of the playoffs, and just chose to shoot more?

 

[snowmanny]

Mazzulla played JT the entire first and third quarter, and the entire fourth quarter, except for the last 56 seconds of garbage time. He also played JB the entire third quarter.

Tatum was 6-7 at the rim, 2-8 from three, and 3-10 mid-range. He got fouled four times on drives, plus an and one. 21 points on 11 drives to the hoop, and 12 points on 18 non-rim shots.

His mid-ranges seemed like tough shots.

 

[TripleOT]

Does that translate into a more efficient game for him, or was he about as good with the ball as he's been the rest of the playoffs, and just chose to shoot more?

Tatum is a three level scorer. His shot wasn’t falling, which led to an inefficient scoring night, but he did enough driving to put up a big point total. . Hopefully Tatum will emphasize driving in game four, with his size advantage and Cleveland’s lack of rim protection

 

[lovegtm]

Tatum is a three level scorer. His shot wasn’t falling, which led to an inefficient scoring night, but he did enough driving to put up a big point total. . Hopefully Tatum will emphasize driving in game four, with his size advantage and Cleveland’s lack of rim protection

Thing is, he already was emphasizing driving. He's probably close to the physical limit of how often he can drive while playing big minutes and being effective on D/glass, where they really need him.

It would be really, really useful if he could get his shot to fall. His first couple 3s looked soft and beautiful, and then the shot flattened out as the game went on, looks got tougher, and legs went out.

 

[chilidawg]

They did just fine (+7) with him on the bench in the first half, I think they would have been better served to get him a break in the 2nd half so he could be a force late.

 

[slamminsammya]

Tatum on two point pull-ups for the season shot 39%. Stop shooting those amigo except for low shot clock scenarios. Stop trying to be Kobe. With peace and love.

 

[Ed Hillel]

Tatum on an 11-25 streak, baby.

 

[Senator Donut]

Kind of funny listening to Tatum’s interview. He matter-of-factly pointed out that the Celtics qualify for the conference finals more often than not since he’s been on the team, so this is a fairly small stage for him.

 

[RorschachsMask]

Played 44 minutes, and the whole second half lol.

Went 4-8 from midrange overall tonight, but 2-6 in the second half. It seems that the more tired he is, the more it becomes part of his offense.

 

[slamminsammya]

Played 44 minutes, and the whole second half lol.

Went 4-8 from midrange overall tonight, but 2-6 in the second half. It seems that the more tired he is, the more it becomes part of his offense.

I almost get annoyed when he makes them cuz he starts feeling himself and on average they are not good shots. That’s exactly what happened tonight he made a few early and just went full kobe in the second half

 

[Ed Hillel]

That’s on Joe, Tatum should not play above 40 min in a game like tonight.

 

[Rook05]

His shot selection lately is really something. I wonder if he’s trying protect that elbow a bit.

 

[slamminsammya]

That’s on Joe, Tatum should not play above 40 min in a game like tonight.

Getting him conditioned for the latter rounds maybe?

 

[Auger34]

His shot selection lately is really something. I wonder if he’s trying protect that elbow a bit.

Wait, does he have an elbow injury?

 

[Ed Hillel]

Getting him conditioned for the latter rounds maybe?

Imo he shouldn’t be playing 44 minutes ever, because we are a super deep team and he plays less effectively late on big minutes.

 

[slamminsammya]

Imo he shouldn’t be playing 44 minutes ever, because we are a super deep team and he plays less effectively late on big minutes.

Yeah I didn’t love it tonight just trying to think what joe might have been thinking.

it’s also possible joe reacted to the stretch of jaylen on jayson off which was especially disjointed tonight

 

[Eddie Jurak]

nm

 

[Red Averages]

Kind of funny listening to Tatum’s interview. He matter-of-factly pointed out that the Celtics qualify for the conference finals more often than not since he’s been on the team, so this is a fairly small stage for him.

The Tatum/Brown invitational.

 

[RorschachsMask]

I hate his midrange shots, in the moment it drives me crazy.

But I don’t give a shit about the 11-25 lol, efficiency is down for almost every top option in these playoffs. And as I’ve said, people get too married to efficiency anyways, him missing a couple of extra shots when gassed? Could not care less.

Was his second straight game of 33 points on the exact same amount of shots, threes, and FT’s.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

I hate his midrange shots, in the moment it drives me crazy.

But I don’t give a shit about the 11-25 lol, efficiency is down for almost every top option in these playoffs. And as I’ve said, people get too married to efficiency anyways, him missing a couple of extra shots when gassed? Could not care less.

Was his second straight game of 33 points on the exact same amount of shots, threes, and FT’s.

What is frustrating about watching Tatum in the midrange is that on so many of these, it just looks like he is settling for a bad, low-percentage even for him look. That's not true for all of his midrange shots, but it was for a good many of the ones he took tonight. And then you can't help but compare him to Brown, who is actually better at creating high percenatge midrange shots for himself. It is quite a bit less common to see Brown take a midrange shot where it looks like he is settling for a bad look than it is to see Tatum do that.

 

[slamminsammya]

What is frustrating about watching Tatum in the midrange is that on so many of these, it just looks like he is settling for a bad, low-percentage even for him look. That's not true for all of his midrange shots, but it was for a good many of the ones he took tonight. And then you can't help but compare him to Brown, who is actually better at creating high percenatge midrange shots for himself. It is quite a bit less common to see Brown take a midrange shot where it looks like he is settling for a bad look than it is to see Tatum do that.

i think he’s gone back to them since the officials are making his back to the basket post game that was so good early in the year ineffectual since he doesn’t get calls on all the contact he generates. that plus he still idolizes kobe

 

[Rook05]

Wait, does he have an elbow injury?

They showed him favoring and icing it the other night for a stretch. We know his wrist had bothered him at times this season, so I’m just speculating since he seems to settle a lot.

 

[RorschachsMask]

What is frustrating about watching Tatum in the midrange is that on so many of these, it just looks like he is settling for a bad, low-percentage even for him look. That's not true for all of his midrange shots, but it was for a good many of the ones he took tonight. And then you can't help but compare him to Brown, who is actually better at creating high percenatge midrange shots for himself. It is quite a bit less common to see Brown take a midrange shot where it looks like he is settling for a bad look than it is to see Tatum do that.

It’s actually really easy to not compare him to Brown, even if you’re just talking about mid rangers. Because they are different players, and face much different levels of defensive attention.

I think his biggest issue on them is he fades when he doesn’t need to.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

i think he’s gone back to them since the officials are making his back to the basket post game that was so good early in the year ineffectual since he doesn’t get calls on all the contact he generates. that plus he still idolizes kobe

He hit one of the one-legged Dirk shots tonight. I can't remember the last time I saw him hit one of those. I feel like his best midrange shots are when he is facing the defender, holding the ball, still having his dribble, and he can either free himself up to shoot with a jab or the defender is so worried about him putting it on the floor that he doesn't even have to jab.

 

[RorschachsMask]

They showed him favoring and icing it the other night for a stretch. We know his wrist had bothered him at times this season, so I’m just speculating since he seems to settle a lot.

He’s drove to the rim a ton the last 3 games.

He did it less in the fourth quarter tonight because he played 44 minutes. Even Giannis takes jumpers, because big guys driving constantly is much more tiring.