Jayson Tatum has caught fire from beyond the arc to start the new year. After struggling with his consistency on 3-point shots for the first few months of the season, the Boston Celtics superstar has turned the corner.
In Boston’s Jan. 6 win over the Indiana Pacers, Tatum knocked down eight threes on his way to a 38-point performance. He shot 8/13 from downtown in the 118-101 win. Through four games in January, Tatum has converted a blistering 56.8% of his 3-pointers on 9.3 attempts per contest. In the new year, Tatum has averaged 35.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.3 assists.
Over his last ten games dating back to Dec. 17, Tatum is shooting 44.9% from three. He is canning four threes a night on almost nine attempts. Simply put, the All-NBA forward has rediscovered his long-range accuracy.
Now up to 37.4% from deep on the season (his best mark in three years), Tatum leads the Celtics in made threes with 111. Boston owns the best record in basketball with a 29-8 mark. The Celtics are on a 64-win pace, and Tatum has led the way with his rejuvenated sharpshooting.
After the Pacers win, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla spoke to Boston media about the greatness of Tatum and the growth he has shown this season.
“When you get to the point where you’re so good … people can take it for granted,” Mazzulla said. “I think that’s the ultimate compliment because they start to see it as ‘oh, you’re just supposed to do that.’ His growth as a player in the last month has exponentially just jumped. The patience that he’s playing with on drives, his potential assist average, his screening … He had 38, 14, and 6. If another player in the league does that, that’s all people talk about…”
Tatum’s most recent outburst came in an overtime win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. JT went off for 45 points on 13/26 shooting from the field and 6/11 shooting from three. With the signature win, Boston maintained its perfect record at home (18-0).
With Tatum firing on all cylinders, the Celtics should feel great about their quest for an 18th NBA championship.
