It’s no secret that the Boston Celtics need Jayson Tatum to be a more efficient offensive player and provide more scoring during the 2024 NBA Finals.
But Tatum is smart enough and experienced enough to know that he can’t let his struggles offensively (by his standards) have a negative impact on the other parts of his game.
He’s done a great job of that over the first two games of the Finals, and it’s among the reasons why the Celtics have a 2-0 series lead over the Mavericks entering Game 3 in Dallas on Wednesday night.
“I think being in the Finals two years ago has helped me in this moment,” Tatum said at a press conference in Dallas on Tuesday.
“Like I said, I understand that I do need to be more efficient. I do need to shoot the ball better, I would not disagree with anybody on that. But I’m not letting it bother me. I’m still trying to find ways to impact the game and dominate the game in other areas.”
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Tatum nearly posted a triple-double in Game 2 with 18 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds. He scored 16 points with 11 rebounds and five assists in Game 1. He is shooting 12-of-38 (31.5 percent) from the field and 4-of-14 (28.5 percent) from 3-point range in the series overall.
The Mavericks are dedicating a lot of attention on defense to Tatum. He’s been double- or even triple-teamed on many drives to the basket, and to his credit, he’s not settling for bad contested shots in the paint. Tatum is finding the open man on the perimeter.
But at some point, the Celtics will need more scoring from Tatum. He’s an elite offensive player who can score in a variety of ways. There’s a reason why he’s the only Celtics player ever to average 30-plus points per game in a season (2022-23).
Even though Tatum hasn’t had a 30-point game yet in this series, he’s still confident that these shots will eventually fall.
“I understand that it could take one game,” Tatum said. “One game, I could explode. All the percentages and things like that could change. So it’s just that mindset of, I’m one game away or whatever that means. Like I said the other day, I know what it’s like to be in this position and lose. This time around, trying to do any and everything possible to have a different outcome.
“So, yes, I know I need to shoot the ball better. And I plan on it. Not letting that affect everything else that I need to do on the court to help us win.”
