Jayson Tatum's Rise to the Top

[shoelace]

Tatum shot 33% from 3 for his first 59 games last season, him improving on that after the break was not a particularly high bar to clear, so I think Karalis is off the mark here. He's gone through long stretches of poor shooting before, he shot terribly for the majority of last season and then been hot for months as he was last year after the break and in the playoffs. This is true of other superstars like Luka as well, whose had month-long stretches of terrible shooting (31% for the first two months of this season). I realize people have maybe expunged this from their memory, but we had people acting like the Hornets and Hawks had surpassed the Celtics last season after a January loss when they were a .500 team. Those people were laughably wrong.

As far as him feeling exhausted, if they have any other injuries next week against Cleveland, they should let Tatum stay home until they travel to Atlanta. They should be looking to let him sit out games where they have a low probability of winning, like the Milwaukee game or other road games against contenders where they are short -handed.

 

[Deathofthebambino]

Last year, Tatum had a 9 game stretch where he shot 36.3% from the field and 32% from 3, for 21.8ppg in early November.

The year before, he had a 14 game stretch where he shot 38% and 29% from deep for 22ppg in February.


I'm not even digging deep for this stuff. Stretches like this happen. Get him some home cooking, his own bed and he'll be just fine.

 

[BigSoxFan]

If anyone wants to listen to Karalis take on Tatum ~ 29-minute mark

I think JT's tired from 2-weeks of travel. There was a point when the players were sitting on the sidelines and Marcus & Tatum were just staring straight ahead. Exhausted.

I expect CJM will start load-managing the entire team the last few weeks before the playoffs. I'm subtly happy JT is no longer in the MVP-race. This will lead him to offer no resistance in taking games off.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9UtRBx_LKc

Yeah, I think this is mostly just fatigue with a sprinkle of a hopefully minor wrist issue. It does seem like the sluggish Q1 starts are becoming a thing with him though. Here are Tatum's Q1 shooting percentages by month:

OCT: 68%
NOV: 42%
DEC: 41%
JAN: 43%
FEB: 42%

So, aside from a really hot start in a few games in October, he's been slightly worse shooting the entire year early in games. Q1 is also his lowest FTA quarter as well at 1.6 (Q2 2.3, Q3 2.3, Q4 2.1). Looking at 3point percentage, the same theme shows up:

Q1: 32%
Q2: 28%
Q3: 46%
Q4: 35%

He's been especially bad from downtown in Q1 on the road at 23%. All of this is why he and Jaylen are such a good pairing because Jaylen tends to be a hot starter, especially on the road (47% Q1 road shooting).

 

[Deathofthebambino]

Yeah, I think this is mostly just fatigue with a sprinkle of a hopefully minor wrist issue. It does seem like the sluggish Q1 starts are becoming a thing with him though. Here are Tatum's Q1 shooting percentages by month:

OCT: 68%
NOV: 42%
DEC: 41%
JAN: 43%
FEB: 42%

So, aside from a really hot start in a few games in October, he's been slightly worse shooting the entire year early in games. Q1 is also his lowest FTA quarter as well at 1.6 (Q2 2.3, Q3 2.3, Q4 2.1). Looking at 3point percentage, the same theme shows up:

Q1: 32%
Q2: 28%
Q3: 46%
Q4: 35%

He's been especially bad from downtown in Q1 on the road at 23%. All of this is why he and Jaylen are such a good pairing because Jaylen tends to be a hot starter, especially on the road (47% Q1 road shooting).

It's also why I think Tatum generally comes out of the game with 4-6 minutes left in the 1st, and Brown plays almost the entire first, if not the entire first, then he sits and Tatum comes back in at the tail end of the 1st/2nd.

 

[lovegtm]

Didn't realize Tatum only took 6 3s against CLE; it felt like more of his points were from a heater. He could have been 1-6, and still been really efficient.

That was the blueprint for a Good Tatum game: cook bigs, get to the paint, get some assists from the attention, but still look to score. Hopefully he can now both get in rhythm, and also get some occasional days off down the stretch.

 

[RorschachsMask]

A real screenshot from the world wide leader.

 

[bakahump]

Who can name the 7 guys in front of him for most points before 24?

 

[Kliq]

Who can name the 7 guys in front of him for most points before 24?

Off the top of my head (and assuming you mean 25 and not 24), I'll say:

LeBron
Durant
Kobe
Allen Iverson
T-Mac
Carmelo
Shaq

Thinking mostly it's got to be high school or one and done guys. Shaq and Iverson were both young getting out of school and were big scorers right away.

 

[Euclis20]

Off the top of my head (and assuming you mean 25 and not 24), I'll say:

LeBron
Durant
Kobe
Allen Iverson
T-Mac
Carmelo
Shaq

Thinking mostly it's got to be high school or one and done guys. Shaq and Iverson were both young getting out of school and were big scorers right away.

I can't guess because I looked this up earlier, but I'll just say that with his 40+ point game last night, there will just be 6 guys with more points before turning 25, not 7.

 

[RorschachsMask]

Shooting 37.5% on pull-up threes over his last 15 games, thats a good sign as we head down the stretch.

 

[TripleOT]

JT is now 25. We can close the book on the __st player to have ________ before age 25 talk. We Celtics fans are lucky that we have had a HOF level SF for 60+ consecutive years, except for a few horrible years in the 1990s. Jayson Tatum is a worthy successor to Hondo, Bird, and Pierce.

Already, six seasons of high level play, improving every season, ascending into the Best Player in the NBA conversation, and just turning 25. With the love JT has for the game, and his incredible work ethic, we might get to see him play at a high level for another 12-15 years.

Thank you Danny Ainge, Billy Knight, Brandi Cole, Justin Tatum, Drew Hanlen, Bradley Beal, The Lou, and of course, Deuce Tatum.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

JT is now 25. We Celtics fans are lucky that we have had a HOF level SF for 60+ consecutive years, except for a few years in the 1990’s. Tatum is a worthy successor to Hondo, Bird, and Pierce.

What every Celtics fan should remember this spring.

 

[lovegtm]

What every Celtics fan should remember this spring.

View attachment 61821

So you're saying that it would have been really fucking sweet to get that first ring at 24.......

 

[RorschachsMask]

It’s crazy that he’s made such a leap this year, that even in his “down” time, he’s averaged 28/9/6 on a 59% TS since February 1st. It’s like @lovegtm said in the other thread, that’s with Tatum legitimately playing well below his capabilities.

That said, I have absolutely zero concerns about him, we know what he will do come playoff time. The pull-up three is also starting to become a weapon for him again, he’s at 37% with it over the last 10 games. It’s funny though, the pull-up gets going, and he’s only at 33% on C&S threes over that time lol. I think there’s a good chance he ends the season between 36-37% from deep.

 

[RorschachsMask]

Only 5 games into March, but he’s averaging 33.4/11.4/5.4 on a 63% TS, and the best on/off on the team.

Whatever happened right out of the all star break is hopefully done with lol.

 

[lovegtm]

Only 5 games into March, but he’s averaging 33.4/11.4/5.4 on a 63% TS, and the best on/off on the team.

Whatever happened right out of the all star break is hopefully done with lol.

He looked like old Tatum last night, getting into the lane when he wanted. Missed a lot of layups, or his line could have been even better.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

Only 5 games into March, but he’s averaging 33.4/11.4/5.4 on a 63% TS, and the best on/off on the team.

Whatever happened right out of the all star break is hopefully done with lol.

Not surprising now that he’s back playing regularly and back in rhythm. People were saying he needed rest after playing like 3 real games in two weeks……that’s the last thing he needed. Players are used to playing, not resting…..espeically at his age.

 

[slamminsammya]

Not surprising now that he’s back playing regularly and back in rhythm. People were saying he needed rest after playing like 3 real games in two weeks……that’s the last thing he needed. Players are used to playing, not resting…..espeically at his age.

In fairness, the man himself said he needed rest.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

In fairness, the man himself said he needed rest.

When? He said he needed more rest after hardly playing for two weeks?

 

[Euclis20]

When? He said he needed more rest after hardly playing for two weeks?

I believe he said he'd been on the road for 2 weeks, and needed a rest in his own bed. Not exactly the same as needing rest, and certainly understandable.

 

[benhogan]

When? He said he needed more rest after hardly playing for two weeks?

It wasn't game/minutes-related tiredness. He was tired from 2-weeks on the road, All-Star hoopla, and staying in a hotel living out of suitcase (which sucks)

In the middle of that, NIKE rolled out his shoe. He didn't sleep the night before the announcement.

Lack of quality sleep massively affects athletic performance.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

I believe he said he'd been on the road for 2 weeks, and needed a rest in his own bed. Not exactly the same as needing rest, and certainly understandable.

Oh yeah I remember this. He said he needed a night in his own bed. That’s what road trips do, that’s why teams tend to fade toward the end of road trips….that doesn’t have much to do with too many minutes. He got back to normalcy in his life which included playing basketball regularly again.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

For those quick to dismiss the possibility of fatigue, it is at least worth noting that Tatum's improved performance in the past couple of game lines up with him getting 2 days off between games.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

For those quick to dismiss the possibility of fatigue, it is at least worth noting that Tatum's improved performance in the past couple of game lines up with him getting 2 days off between games.

You mean like in The Finals when he had 2 and 3 days off yet everyone claimed he was still gassed? It’s not even true either….he had games every other day against Cleveland, Brooklyn and the Knicks…..then had monster game following his 48 min game.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

Game 1 after ASB: 42 minutes, 18 points, 9-25 from the field (36%), 3 of 12 from 3 (25%), 1 for 2 from the line (50%), 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block, 5 turnovers

1 day rest between games, after ASB: 40 minutes, 26.2 points, 56 of 131 (44%), 16 of 57 from 3 (28%), 29 of 35 from the line (83%), 10.5 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.5 blocks, 3.7 turnovers, Celtics are 2-4

2 days rest between games after ASB: 33 minutes, 32.0 points, 23 of 42 (55%), 11 of 24 from 3 (46%), 7 of 10 from the line (70%), 11.0 rebounds, 4 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.5 blocks, 2 turnovers, Celtics are 2-0

 

[Erik Hanson's Hook]

He's also played a ton of basketball the last three years in aggregate, going back to the Olympics.

 

[kfoss99]

Rob being out seems to hurt Tatum a lot. Smart stinking hurts the whole team. I don't know if those are reasons he seems to miss so many layups and his 3-point shooting is streaky. But, I'm guessing those two guys playing and playing well opens up space for Tatum. Mazulla also maybe wouldn't need to play him 41 minutes against the worst team in the league.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

Last night Tatum had a strong overall game, scoring 34 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals. The key to his performance was an incredible 16 of 18 from the line. On the downside, 5 turnovers and he shot only 2-11 from three. The poor shooting from three fits a pattern.

Tatum's 3-point shooting since All-Star Break:

Game 1 after ASB (1 game): 3 of 12 from 3 (25%)
1 day rest between games, after ASB (8 games): 18 of 76 from 3 (24%)
2 days rest between games after ASB (2 games): 11 of 24 from 3 (46%)

He's had 2 decent or good shooting from three games on 1 day of rest (2 of 8 games) and 2 decent or good shooting from three games on 2 days rest (2 of 2).

I wonder if he has something going on, healthwise, and a second day off between games allows him to get therapy.

 

[lovegtm]

Last night Tatum had a strong overall game, scoring 34 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals. The key to his performance was an incredible 16 of 18 from the line. On the downside, 5 turnovers and he shot only 2-11 from three. The poor shooting from three fits a pattern.

Tatum's 3-point shooting since All-Star Break:

Game 1 after ASB (1 game): 3 of 12 from 3 (25%)
1 day rest between games, after ASB (8 games): 18 of 76 from 3 (24%)
2 days rest between games after ASB (2 games): 11 of 24 from 3 (46%)

He's had 2 decent or good shooting from three games on 1 day of rest (2 of 8 games) and 2 decent or good shooting from three games on 2 days rest (2 of 2).

I wonder if he has something going on, healthwise, and a second day off between games allows him to get therapy.

Reasonably confident that we'll find out that something is going on with his wrist, at the very least.

 

[Jed Zeppelin]

I blame the shoes.

 

[Euclis20]

It's looking like Tatum will lead the league points scored:

1.	Jayson Tatum • BOS	2044
2.	Joel Embiid • PHI	1958
3.	Shai Gilgeous-Alexander • OKC	1915
4.	Luka Dončić • DAL	1909
5.	Julius Randle • NYK	1884
6.	Damian Lillard • POR	1866
7.	Giannis Antetokounmpo • MIL	1781
8.	Trae Young • ATL	1770
9.	Anthony Edwards • MIN	1755
10.	Donovan Mitchell • CLE	1700

Tatum and Luka have 9 games left, Embiid and SGA have 10, the rest don't really have a shot. Embiid is obviously the closest but more than anyone it seems like Embiid could sit down the stretch. Luka and SGA probably go right down to the wire as both are fighting for their playoff lives, but this feels like Tatum is too far ahead for anyone to catch him, unless the Celtics sit him for 4+ games.

 

[RorschachsMask]

Finished March averaging 31/10/4 on 50/36 splits, and a 64% TS.

I think he’s ready for the playoffs.

 

[timelysarcasm]

The zero turnovers in the last two games combined with the rediscovered stroke from 3 is a very, very good sign going into the playoffs.

2.3 points per shot is nuts.

View: https://twitter.com/taylorcsnow/status/1641993246254546944

 

[Brand Name]

Reposting from the game thread, because this to me is insane.

Tatum is the first ever NBA player since at least 1983-84 with regular season* consecutive games of 39+ points with no turnovers.

*Bubble Jamal Murray did it in the playoffs against the Jazz in Games 4 and 5 in the first round.

 

[RorschachsMask]

View: https://twitter.com/tracywine105/status/1642159104557711361?s=20

 

[slamminsammya]

View: https://twitter.com/tracywine105/status/1642159104557711361?s=20

One day when I'm sports king we will outlaw these post hoc "lemme carve out just the right statistical thresholds such that we end up with famous players X and Y and player Z who i am gassing up".

 

[RorschachsMask]

One day when I'm sports king we will outlaw these post hoc "lemme carve out just the right statistical thresholds such that we end up with famous players X and Y and player Z who i am gassing up".

 

[JCizzle]

 

[Auger34]

 

[lovegtm]

Amazing

 

[DGreenwood]

Tatum is up by 21 points on Embiid for the season total points lead. My guess is that this means something to Jayson and that he wants to finish first. 21 points is a decent lead with both guys having two games remaining but I'm hoping that the Sixers rest Embiid tonight on the second night of a back-to-back with nothing to play for. I'd rather see Tatum coast to the win.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

Tatum is up by 21 points on Embiid for the season total points lead. My guess is that this means something to Jayson and that he wants to finish first. 21 points is a decent lead with both guys having two games remaining but I'm hoping that the Sixers rest Embiid tonight on the second night of a back-to-back with nothing to play for. I'd rather see Tatum coast to the win.

Embiid didn’t travel with the team for todays game. Sixers are in a different spot than us as they are really banged up so I’d guess they sit everyone these last two.

 

[Euclis20]

Embiid didn’t travel with the team for todays game. Sixers are in a different spot than us as they are really banged up so I’d guess they sit everyone these last two.

They also (may) have some control over who they play in round 1. They play Brooklyn on Sunday, and if Miami wins their last two and Brooklyn loses today, the Nets would be 6th with a win against Philly and 7th with a loss. I imagine that regardless they (Philly) will be resting everyone important on Sunday.

 

[RorschachsMask]

View: https://twitter.com/JaredWeissNBA/status/1644511093778182148?s=20

 

[lovegtm]

He looked really fresh and attack-y, as well as looking to make the right play consistently. Bodes well going into the playoffs.

 

[DGreenwood]

Tatum is up by 21 points on Embiid for the season total points lead. My guess is that this means something to Jayson and that he wants to finish first. 21 points is a decent lead with both guys having two games remaining but I'm hoping that the Sixers rest Embiid tonight on the second night of a back-to-back with nothing to play for. I'd rather see Tatum coast to the win.

Tatum and Embiid are both inactive today so Tatum is your 2022/2023 scoring champ, based on total points.

 

[128]

View: https://twitter.com/jaytatum0/status/1645157779307364354

 

[GeorgeCostanza]

This was a fun 9 minutes

View: https://youtu.be/O-0C5RVLMFc

 

[RorschachsMask]

It’s cool to have a player averaging a very playoff efficient 29/10/4 against a ton of defensive attention, and knowing he has another gear or two lol. He seems content just letting others do their thing, and just taking over when needed.

View: https://twitter.com/lissmx14/status/1650543747178872833?s=20


View: https://twitter.com/TA1297/status/1650559305395961857?s=20

 

[ifmanis5]

We're tough on him in the game threads but the big picture is still good.
View: https://twitter.com/NBAHistory/status/1651785494584258561

Jayson Tatum is now the 4th player in Celtics history with 10 or more Playoff games of 25+ points, 10+ rebounds, and 5+ assists: Larry Bird: 26 John Havlicek: 15 Bill Russell: 10 Jayson Tatum: 10

View: https://twitter.com/NBAHistory/status/1651794728327827456

Jayson Tatum records his 17th career 30-point Playoff game, passing Paul Pierce for 4th-most in Celtics franchise history: 1. Larry Bird – 43 2. John Havlicek – 30 3. Sam Jones – 21 4. Jayson Tatum – 17 5. Paul Pierce – 16