Unfortunately For The Haters And Losers Of Which There Are Still Many, The Demise Of Jayson Tatum Was Greatly Exaggerated
Fernando Medina. Getty Images.The thing about today's world, especially online and in the media when it comes to sports, is that everyone wants the "best" hot take. Everyone wants the dopamine hit when whatever they put out gets traction. They don't have to believe it, it doesn't even have to be true, but if it plays and it gets the likes and RTs, people can't help themselves. This is not me saying I am above this, we all do it to some degree. Our collective brains are cooked.
If there's one thing we've learned over the years, it's that a pretty guaranteed way to achieve this is to slander Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics. It's a proven method that NBA Twitter, ESPN etc will run every chance they get because they know what happens next.
Before the season, all you heard from those places was that the Celts were worse this year, they were barely a Play In team, Mazzulla sucks blah blah blah.
Mind you, they have now started the season 5-1 with a top 5 offense, top 7 defense, top 5 net rating and the 2nd best scoring differential in the East. Not bad!
When it come to Jayson Tatum, I mean we all see it. We were all alive after the season opener yes? You couldn't go 5 seconds without someone trying to rewrite his ENTIRE CAREER based off one stinker. It was easily one of the most insane things we'ev ever seen. Game 1 of an 82 game season somehow rewrote a highly decorated career that spans a decade. It was coming from everywhere. Opposing fanbases who have spent years being hurt by Jayson Tatum, every talking head on ESPN, media members who vote for MVP that jumped on the hate train after Game 1 but somehow then admit they don't have the time to watch him play after that despite it being ya know, their job.
Why might that be, you wonder? Where have all those people gone? Why isn't Stephen A Smith on TV talking about how Tatum is ruined and he came back too soon from injury?
Ahhhhhhhhhh yes, that's right
Advertisement
Giphy Images.Turns out it took just 6 games for their gimmick to fall flat, so for the time being they've gone back into hiding. I'm just curious, where is this supposed Jayson Tatum decline? Where is the guy who "isn't the same" and is no longer a First Team All NBA/MVP caliber player? I was told that is who he is not following the Pistons stinker…..so what happened?
I'll tell you what happened. All of these people were doing their best to "wish" that would be the case. They were trying to speak something into existence that they know isn't true, I would guess mostly out of fear. They know that their favorite team is probably cooked if Tatum is better than ever, so they were projecting. ESPN knows if they slander Tatum and the Celts it'll get traction and people like me to blog about it. Sure I take the bait, but whatever.
I think the funniest part of the entire Tatum discourse after the opener was that it was as if everyone had collective amnesia. As if we didn't just see him put up 21/10/5 immediately upon returning from injury and then 23/11/7 with a 60% TS% in the playoffs. Then, after the longest offseason he's had in years, their take was that he was #actuallyworse all because of one stinker. Please just stop and think about how pathetic that is for a second. Then I'll remind you that none of that shit existed for the other star stinkers around the league. Nothing for Jokic, Wemby, Ant, Brunson etc. But Tatum? It was as if they were foaming at the mouth to write fan fiction about what they hoped would be true. Very sad!
Here on planet Earth, the reality of the situation is that Jayson Tatum is off to one of the best starts of his career, and he still isn't even shooting well from deep yet. A cool 28/6/7 WITHOUT his jumper, which means there are still more levels to climb. He's arguably the most complete player in the league, yet for the most part, people can't see it or refuse to acknowledge it because they remain blinded by their hate. I'll pray for them.
With that said, let's dive in.
The Good
- If you couldn't tell, we're starting with the performance of Jayson Tatum. It was pretty much everything you want and require from a superstar player on both ends of the floor. That's something I feel gets overlooked every single time the topic of Jayson Tatum comes up when compared to his peers.
Jayson Tatum does it on BOTH ends, against ALL 5 positions. He is arguably the most complete player in the league, whether you want to accept that fact or not
Advertisement
It's the superstar and #1 options role to step up and close the door when a game enters winning time. I don't care about the context of the situation, that's the role. Can you put the team on your back and carry them over the finish line? We saw Tatum do that against the defending Champs when he made 3 straight huge buckets over the final 90 seconds. We saw him do that against the Nets when it came to his game winner.
Against the Magic? It was more of the same
Giphy Images.Advertisement
You see, this is the beauty of Tatum's game and perfectly illustrates how he's able to impact winning. It's not just all about his scoring. He brings both elite shotmaking AND playmaking to the table, and is willing to utilize both depending on the situation and what the team needs. That's versatility, that's impact. He wasn't just hunting his own moments, he was giving the game what it needed. Maybe that was his own pullups from the elbow to settle things down, maybe that was finding a teammate for a dagger bucket to ice the game. What matters is the best player making the plays to win the game.
Aside from all that, it's starting to get hard to ignore the jump Tatum is currently taking when it comes to getting to the line. His whistle is still dogshit, but the jump we're seeing is real. Did you know Tatum leads the NBA in FTA? That's a real thing. He's upped his FTAr to 48% to start the year, which is BY FAR the highest of his career. He's operating more in the paint/at the rim compared to previous seasons, and look at what it's done for his FTs. Another 17 last night, this is something we've never seen from Tatum in a decade of watching him play. I do not think he'll average 10 the entire year like he is now, but if this is going to live in the 8-9 range? The second his 3pt shooting comes back, he's going to average well over 30 a game.
If I were to nitpick I'd say the rebounding and turnovers these last few games have left more to be desired, but overall? Tatum has been fantastic to start the year, and watching him you'd never know this was a dude who popped his achilles. To me, that's the best part of everything we're currently seeing.
- For those who have been reading this blog for the last 11 years, you know that generally, I live by one main mantra when it comes to this team:
If you don't defend, you die.
I get the shotmaking is important. I understand Mazzulla Ball. But it is my core belief that when it comes to NBA basketball, your defensen is the foundation of everything. You need to be elite on that end if you have any dreams of a Larry. The good news? The Celts defense is looking better and better with each passing game
Another game holding an opponent to under 100 points. Another game forcing high TOs (16). Another game allowing no more than 27 points in a single quarter. A combined 16 blocks and steals. Do I care that the Magic had people out? Sure don't. I care about execution.
What we saw in this win was the exact formula of what Brad Stevens was building towards when he put together this roster. How many times have we seen shooting variance kill a Celtics season? Too many to count. So how do you solve that problem?
You maximize the shit out of your possessions. You create more possessions than your opponent. This win was the perfect example of that. See for yourself
Advertisement
Good offense (116 ORTG), elite defense (104 DRTG), offensive rebounding (31%) and limting turnovers (11.2%).
If you're curious how the Celts won a game despite finishing 14-44 (27%), this it why. Remember when sub-30% shooting meant death? Now, the Celts are built to find way to win anyway, even when their 3s aren't falling.
What we saw in this win was the blueprint. It was another example of proof of concept when it comes to the Celts' approach this season. This is how they won a shit ton of games last year, and we're now seeing an enhanced version of that formula. Turns out it's pretty good!
- I promise, I am trying my best to be level headed. I am trying my best to remain calm and keep perspective. I am also man enough to admit that I am failing. I can't contain it any longer at this point. I am full on in love with Paul George
The fit has been even better than I imagined. It was as if George was put on this Earth to play Mazzulla Ball. I know we're probably on a little bit of borrowed time with this start, but I don't care. Everything about what George is giving this team is well beyond my wildest dreams.
The defense? Ridiculous. He's ending every game with like at least 4 STOCKS.
The offense? He's fit like a glove just like we expected him too. An elite off ball player who can make his open threes but also a naturally gifted passer who has the mindset of doing whatever the team needs from him.
The mindset? It might be the best part of all
Advertisement
Being head over heels doesn't even really describe it. Somehow, Brad Stevens got Indiana Pacers Paul George? Is that what we're looking at right now?
I'm not ruling it out.
Not to be overlooked, while a lot of the focus will be on George's dagger 3PM, to me the bigger shot was the one from the corner during the non-Tatum minutes when things started to get a little dicey. His play during that stretch played a huge role in the Celts winning those minutes, which ended up being pretty significant in terms of the outcome.
- The thing I love about Luka Garza is that he is always ready. His playing time might be inconsistent, but the second he steps onto the floor you know what you're going to get. With a more expanded role in this game given Mitch getting the night off, Garzilla was fully unleashed and boy what a sight that was
12/6/4 in his 20 minutes with a couple of big 3s, it always makes me so happy when Garza plays well because you can tell how hard he works. If anyone deserves to be blessed by the Basketball Gods when he's on the floor, it's him. Garzilla led the bench in scoring, assists, 3PM, and +/-, and while his line may not blow your dick off, if you watched this game you could see how important his production actually was.
Maybe he just kills the Magic? Remember last year his explosing in Game 82 was against ORL, but overall I'd say the play of Garza is why I'm so comfortable putting Mitch on a maintenance plan. He's the perfect innings eater big, and that's before we even get to Chris Cenac Jr. Shoutout Garzilla, he was huge.
- Baylor Scheierman was right there wil Garzilla in terms of bench production, with some pretty massive 4th quarter makes of his own in the early non-Tatum minutes. Given that none of the young wings have really separated themselves yet, Baylor made his case for an extended run last night and, as a result, led all of the bench wings in minutes.
Advertisement
If I could ask for one thing from Baylor, it might be to find a way to be even more aggressive when it comes to his little mid-paint floater. That's become an automatic shot for him, he has great touch, and sometimes I feel like he gets into the paint and could use it, but instead decides to pass back out to the perimeter. It's not that this is a bad decision, I'm just saying I want him to shoot it more! He has full clearance to spam that shot as far as I'm concerned, especially in non-Tatum mintues when points are at a premium. If he gets two feet in the paint and has a clean look at the rim, I say put it up. Especially if Mitch/Queta are around for a putback should he miss.
The Bad
- If there was one concern most had when it came to Payton Pritchard, it's how things look when playing a big, tough, physical defense. We know he can destroy the bum teams. While that's important over the course of 82, when it comes to the 16 games that matter in the Spring, he has to be able to produce against the best of the best. I don't care if that's as a starter or off the bench either.
So far this season, I wouldn't exactly say those concerns have been lessened
Against the Pistons? Nowhere close to good enough. Against the Knicks? A no show. Against a pesky Nets defense that plays physical and has length? A no show. Against a physical Magic defense? A no show.
Cooking the Bulls was fun and all, but we cannot be having this pattern of a good game following by a no show when that no show is coming against a good defense. The 0-7 from deep was the brutal part because I'd say the majority of those were clean looks. Payton is not just 3-19 over his last 3 games from deep, and that's certainly not going to cut it. I get the 7 rebounds were nice and all, but considering this is the Celts 3rd offensive option, they need way more against better teams.
Considering the Celts have HOU tonight, I'm very interested to see how Payton responds.
- It's a minor gripe, but some of the passing from Tatum and George (8 TOs) in this game was pretty gross. Lazy cross court passes from Tatum down the stretch should never happen, and these last few games both Tatum and George have been a little loose with the ball. They're better than a 15:8 assist to turnover ratio.
- Tough time for us Jordan Walsh stock holders, because I'm starting to thikn Hugo may have snatched his starting spot. Maybe this was just matchup related and because the Cs are on a B2B, but I thought Hugo was much more impactful in his minutes with the starters and I wouldn't hate the switch. Entering the season I was leaning Hugo for that 5th spot but understood why Walsh got the early nod. I'd now like to see a few game sample of what it looks like with Hugo in that spot, because I think he may be ready.
Advertisement
The Ugly
- By now you should know the rule of this blog. The team wins 5 in a row, we get to skip this section and ignore the things that truly made us mad. We will continue to skip it for as long as the winning streak continues, which just so happens to be the longest active winning streak in the East. Not bad!
While winning in ORL was nice because lately the Celts have struggled there, the real test comes tonight against the Rockets. They've been one of the best teams all year, they also possession-max, they have size, they have shooting, they play physical, all of which should present a lot of challenges for a team on a B2B. The good news is at 39-15, there hasn't been a team better in B2Bs in the entire NBA since Mazzulla took over.