Celtics rookie Jayson Tatum was impactful in his team’s victory over the Hornets on Monday night.
Boston Celtics rookie small forward Jayson Tatum is expected to command a substantial role in Brad Stevens’ rotation this season, and he began to prove why in his squad’s 94-82 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night.
Tatum received 33 minutes off of the bench in the victory, by far the most of any Celtic. It’s clear that Stevens is attempting to give Tatum as much playing time as possible in order to acclimate him to the speed of the NBA game as well as to find out what personnel he performs the best alongside.
The only other players on the team to receive at least 20 minutes of action were Jaylen Brown and Semi Ojeleye, as Tatum was on the floor it seemed for the entirety of the second half. He managed to compile a plus-minus rating of +9 while garnering a well-rounded stat line of nine points, five rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
Although he shot 0-3 from three-point range, there were positives to pull from Tatum’s shooting performance.
Midway through the third quarter, Tatum channeled his inner Kobe Bryant after receiving the ball inside of the arc on the right wing. With the smaller Kemba Walker defending him, Tatum took a few seconds to pivot towards the hoop and size him up. He proceeded to hit Walker with a few jab steps before rising up for a silky smooth 16-foot jump shot.
When Tatum receives a mismatch such as this on the wing, he can exploit it in multiple fashions. One thing that separates Tatum from Josh Jackson and Lonzo Ball is his ability to knock down midrange jumpers in tight spaces. With his high release point, Tatum is able to prevent shorter defenders from coming close to blocking his shot, something that Ball cannot claim. He also has a more reliable midrange stroke than Jackson off of the catch and off of the jab step.
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Jackson has proven himself capable of making tough shots off of the dribble. However, Tatum overwhelms him when it comes to releasing jumpers with not an inch of space between him and the defender without having to waste useless dribbles and waste a turnover.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Tatum also revealed the notion that he has been in the gym working on his dribble drives with one Kyrie Irving. After catching the ball on the left high elbow, Tatum took two dribbles past his defender. When Cody Zeller stepped in to stop Tatum’s penetration, he then leaned into the defender and tossed up an Irving-esque right-handed floater off of the glass for a pair of points.
Defensively, Tatum used his length to his advantage throughout the contest. Late in the third quarter, we witnessed Tatum slide into the paint to help stop a rolling Zeller, swatting away his floater attempt. Then, in the fourth quarter, Tatum’s basketball IQ was on full display.
Charlotte’s Frank Kaminsky telegraphed a pass across the perimeter, and Tatum recognized the opportunity for an interception and obliged. He ripped through the passing lane and knocked the ball away, leading to a two-on-one breakaway with center Daniel Theis that concluded, unsurprisingly, in a smooth alley-oop from Tatum to Theis.
If Tatum can continue to impact games on both sides of the floor, he should be in for more 33-minute appearances.