How Jayson Tatum is starting to commit to the little things again

The arrival of Jimmy Butler in Philadelphia was supposed to solve a crunch-time problem for the 76ers.

As a shot creator who thrives on his ability to make tough baskets and get to the free throw line, he presented an ideal solution for a Sixers’ offense that was easy to shut down for Boston in close games last season: Play tough D on Joel Embiid, don’t let J.J. Redick get a clean look and stay solid elsewhere.

Christmas day provided a perfect opportunity for the Sixers to test out their new weapon against an elite opponent. However, Tuesday night proved to be more of the same for this group. The Sixers went just 3-of-15 from the field over the final eight minutes of regulation and 1-of-8 in overtime, mustering just 25 points over the final 17 minutes.

The game-ending script had a familiar feel in a number of areas. Al Horford did a terrific job holding off Embiid in the post. Boston defenders walled off the paint to make Ben Simmons a non-threat. A surprising part of the equation? Butler was a complete non-factor down the stretch, going 1-of-5 from the field with just two points in the fourth quarter and overtime.

So who exactly gets the credit for slowing down the All-Star? Marcus Smart? Marcus Morris?

Brad Stevens turned down none other than Jayson Tatum, who has started to show an improved commitment to the defensive end.

It was not the perfect day for Tatum. He struggled with plenty of open looks from downtown (1-of-7 on the afternoon) and those types of misses have caused Tatum to hang his head on the defensive end at times this year. He’s received brief benchings (in Phoenix in November) on account of that and poor shot selection at various points of the year, seemingly placing his own play ahead of the team at times.

Yet, in the wake of the two meetings over the weekend, Tatum is taking on a renewed commitment to his all-around game, something he reflected upon after Tuesday’s win.

“I didn't shoot it as well as I would have liked to,” he explained. “For me, I think my next step as a player -- I admire all the top players in the league and how they affect the game if they are not scoring. They just try to help their team win -- That's what I am trying to be, just trying to affect the game any way possible, rebounding, getting a block or trying to get a stop even when your shot isn't falling, because, at the end of the day, all that matters is whether you win or lose.”

That attitude was apparent in his defensive performance against Butler down the stretch. Butler scored just three of his nine field goals all game with Tatum as his primary defender and none of them came in the fourth quarter or overtime. The All-Star is a tough cover but he doesn’t have the foot speed to outrun the 20-year-old, something that is a problem for Tatum against smaller guards. Instead, the 6-foot-8 forward used his length to turn challenging Butler jumpers into even tougher makes.





Butler also seemed bothered by Tatum closeouts due to the guard’s wingspan on closeouts, even when he got some separation on picks.



The 20-year-old led the Celtics in contested shots on the afternoon (14) as well as defensive rebounds (10). He filled up the box score in other areas (two steals, two blocks) to compliment his inefficient 23 points. On the night, the Celtics limited the Sixers to 85 points per 100 possessions in the 39 minutes Tatum was on the floor. That number ballooned to 140 in the 15 minutes that he rested.

Like Kyrie Irving, he’s taking a cue to do more of the little things right now and that’s a key component of this team making it out of a loaded Eastern Conference. If the Celtics can trust Tatum to handle Butler, defending the rest of the Sixers becomes that much easier. For one of the first times against an elite opponent all year, the Celtics won a game in crunch time by leaning on their defense more than their offense.

The defense was Boston's recipe to late-game success last season and it’s failed on several occasions already in 2018. With the volatility of the 3-ball, sound defense remains the best way to win games and Tatum is going to need to be a big part of that equation. Tuesday night was a strong step in the right direction for him.