The Boston Celtics are going to have to see what Jayson Tatum can do at the point
The Boston Celtics have been decimated by injuries in an unprecedented way, and the most recent wave has left them with zero point guards. Neither absences are series, but both Terry Rozier and Shane Larkin are out against the Milwaukee Bucks, making sure Brad Stevens has to transform roles once again.
The Celtics do not ever look to one individual to create everything on offense, but they need ball handlers, and they are really running out right now. Al Horford should be the most important, because he is the most comfortable.
After him, however, we are going to get a heavy dose of the two youngest players on the team, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, handling the ball more than we have seen before.
Stevens talked a lot this season about how Tatum’s role was going to grow and develop, but there is no way he had this in mind. Maybe the Celtics would have though Brown as ready to be a primary ball handler, but having to play Tatum at the point is something nobody saw coming, and it is going to happen.
More from Hardwood Houdini
- Boston Celtics’ two-way contract decision will be made after training camp
- Proposed trade sends Boston Celtics playoff killer to the Cs from rival
- ‘Face of Germany’s stunning run’ in FIBA World Cup not the only ex-Boston Celtics player to win gold
- Proposed Boston Celtics trade target pitched for reunion with fired coach
- Battle For Banner 18: Will Boston Celtics battle historical foe in 2024 Finals?
It is hard to imagine the Celtics playing well with even more injuries, but they have overcome everything so far. Stevens has been going with whatever he has, and now he has to find a way to make it work with Tatum at the point, and that could be really exciting.
He will never be the main distributor, but this could open the door for Tatum to really unlock his scoring. He will not want to dominate the ball too much, but the more control he gets, the more opportunities to score he will get, and he has been scoring on all three levels during this stretch.
Stevens probably would have preferred to have this change of role more gradual, but everyone can see that Tatum has the talent to be the number one option. He will not be a point forward the way Ben Simmons is, because his priority will always need to be scoring.
The safety net is the intelligence that Tatum plays with. Sometimes Brown can get more out of control, and those mistakes can be detrimental. Even if Tatum is not scoring at a high rate, he will not make the mistakes that hurt the team the most.
The level of trust there is in Tatum might be the most remarkable part of his rookie season, and it would not surprise me to see him play with the ball in his hands more than Brown does, even if Brown is a more prominent shooter.
Next: Can Boston Celtics Trust Their Threes?
No team ever wants to be in the situation the Celtics are with injuries, but it is going to force them to put out one of the most unique lineups in the league. If Brown, Tatum and Horford are able to take on all the ball handling, then they do not need to have a player shorter than 6’7 in the starting lineup and with the game on the line.