Like the rest of his teammates, Jayson Tatum didn’t have the smoothest start to his 2018-19 campaign.
After flying out of the gate with 23 points against the Sixers in the season opener, the 20-year-old slowly but surely fell back to earth. He shot over 45 percent from the field in just two of his first 11 games, while firing up contested midrange jumpers at an alarming rate (95th percentile in NBA). His shooting percentage dipped under 39 percent through 11 games thanks to these ill-advised attempts, while his 3-point shooting (34 percent) sunk below the league average.
One year after looking like a rookie phenom, Tatum was reverting into a high volume, low-efficiency chucker for one of the worst offenses in the NBA.
The early slump was punctuated by Brad Stevens’ decision to bench the second-year forward at the start of the second half in Phoenix on Nov. 8, which helped lead to a comeback win against the Suns. Tatum scored a season-low four points in that victory, the third time in Boston’s first 11 games he didn’t crack double digits. For a team that was in search of a No. 2 nightly scoring option with Gordon Hayward not fully recovered, Tatum was having trouble being that guy consistently, posting just 14 ppg on 39 percent shooting.
“I don’t know if it’s as much about him adjusting as recognizing that everybody’s adjusting to him,” Stevens said of Tatum’s early struggles. “I think that’s just part of it. Great is great for a reason, and when everybody’s going after you every single night that’s tough.”
That benching may not end up being more than a blip on the radar in the midst of a tumultuous first 20 games to the C's campaign, but it has served as a bit of a turning point for the 6-foot-9 forward in his sophomore season.
Over the past few weeks, Tatum has served as a top-flight sidekick to Kyrie Irving, helping to stabilize a Celtics offense that continues to have shooting struggles in other areas of the roster.
Over the past 10 games, Tatum looks like the player that Celtics fans fell in love with last season. He’s shooting a team-high 50 percent from the field over that stretch, knocking down 46.8 percent of his 3s (2.2 per game) while posting 18.5 ppg.
A key element to that offensive progress has been Tatum’s shot selection over that stretch. His midrange attempts have taken a sharp dip, while his forays into the paint have happened more frequently, leading to a team-high 3.3 free throw attempts per game.
Smarter choices have also led to better consistency for Tatum on the offensive end. He’s now scored 10 straight games in double digits since laying an egg in the desert and he’s shot 50 percent from the field or better in seven of those contests despite taking a higher number of shots per game (13.7) than the first half of his season. He’s doing more and doing it more effectively, taking advantage of defenses that expect him to shoot first and drive second with plays like this.
Tatum hammers it down ?(@AAANe_MAnews) #AAANortheast pic.twitter.com/TxKkZtxQ7e
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) November 27, 2018