Analyst Shares Concern Over Jayson Tatum's Shooting Struggles
· Yahoo Sports
Analyst Shares Concern Over Jayson Tatum's Shooting Struggles originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Jayson Tatum has played three games since returning to the Boston Celtics rotation. The All-NBA forward had missed 298 days of NBA basketball before stepping back onto the court to face the Dallas Mavericks on Friday, March 6.
Visit fish-roadgame.online for more information.
In that first game back, Tatum looked like he hadn’t missed a step. He ended the night with 15 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists. However, in the two games that have followed, his all-around production has been far more modest. After those three games, it’s clear that Tatum is still building his conditioning while trying to find his rhythm when shooting the ball.
According to Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz, Tatum’s shooting ability could emerge as the biggest weakness on the Celtics roster as the team heads toward the playoffs.
“Tatum's shot is going to be understandably rusty for a while, as evidenced by his 39.3 percent mark from the field and 29.0 percent efficiency from three,” Swartz wrote. “If Boston can weather this early storm while Tatum gets back up to game speed, they'll be rewarded mightily in the playoffs. For now, his high-volume, low-efficiency shooting will hurt.”
Tatum has taken a total of 56 field goal attempts over his first three games back. 31 of those attempts have come from three-point range, with the All-Star forward knocking down 9 of them (29% 3-point shooting). Overall, Tatum is shooting 39.3% from the field, which, given his current shot volume, is far from ideal.
Nobody expected Tatum to hit the ground running. Achilles injuries are serious, and even when you get back onto the floor, it takes time to ramp back up. That’s why so many fans wanted Tatum to have as close to 20 games as possible before the playoffs began.
However, based on what we’ve seen from Tatum so far, it’s far more likely that his shot comes around, rather than he struggles all the way into the summer. For now, he needs to work through his struggles and figure things out on his own. Still, even with the current version of Tatum, the Celtics are a better team with him on the court, and right now, that’s all that matters.
More Celtics: Mock Draft Sees Celtics Land 6'11' Duke Center To Bolster Front Court