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Jayson Tatum Getting More Comfortable With Bigger Role

By Joshua Bateman

NEW ORLEANS, LA - MARCH 18: Emeka Okafor #50 of the New Orleans Pelicans blocks a shot by Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics during the first half at the Smoothie King Center on March 18, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - MARCH 18: Emeka Okafor #50 of the New Orleans Pelicans blocks a shot by Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics during the first half at the Smoothie King Center on March 18, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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The Boston Celtics need Jayson Tatum to embrace a bigger role while they deal with injuries

The Boston Celtics have to go through all kinds of adjustments because of all the injuries that have piled up. When the top two scorers on the team are out, a lot of players have to step up on that end. For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum is a clear choice to increase his role, and he is starting to get more comfortable.

Tatum still may not be ready to be a 25 points per game scorer on a regular basis, but he is taking the kind of approach that should have him consistently scoring over 20 points per game. Tatum will not be a true number one option, but he can be the top scoring option until Kyrie Irving returns to the lineup.

The biggest difference is how much Tatum creates. He has spent all kinds of time off the ball and has been more efficient that anyone could hope for. The problem is that without Irving or Jaylen Brown, those kinds of opportunities will not just materialize. Tatum needs to instigate and create, and he is getting more comfortable doing that.

Tatum is figuring out what he needs to do to create reliable opportunities, and is taking advantage of his ability to score on all three levels. Tatum is starting to embrace his handle more, because he is truly deadly with any kind of space in the mid range. He is also balancing well, because he knows exactly when to drive because defenses are scared pf his shooting.

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Tatum does not need help from anyone else to create like this, allowing him to have an impact as a catch and shoot player, but also off the dribble. As long as they are hurt like this, the Celtics need as much as they can get out of Tatum off the dribble.

He is still far away from being a main distributor, but he is looking  a lot more comfortable creating his own offense, and that is exactly what they need right now. The best part is that Tatum is able to create without disrupting, and his intelligence means there will be very few mistakes that hold back the team.

Tatum has had time to figure out how he can be most effective, and we are seeing him take matters into his own hands more and more often. Brad Stevens has spent a lot of time trying to figure out what works best for Tatum. Right now, with all these injuries, it may be time to step back from looking for more, and embrace what he now knows will work best.

The Celtics have higher hopes than a 20 point per game scorer for Tatum. For now, however, while the Celtics wait to get healthy, that is all they can expect from him. His numbers are still quite inconsistent with the injuries, but there has been a shift in his approach.

Tatum and the Celtics realize that he has offensive talent that they need to embrace, and we should expect to see an increased role stabilize for him. He is clearly the best option to take on more offensive responsibility with so many injuries to their top scorers, and the more responsibilities he has, the better the team will be for now.

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It is fast forwarding things a bit, but the Celtics were inevitably going to increase his role. Tatum has unprecedented talent on offense for a rookie, and the best chance they have at a decent offense without Brown and Irving is him finally taking on that consistent role that we can see he is capable of.

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