Boston Celtics: Jayson Tatum doesn’t miss a beat in win over Bulls

The Boston Celtics picked up an easy victory against the Chicago Bulls on Monday night, winning by a final of 119-103. In Jayson Tatum‘s first game in over two weeks, the superstar reminded the NBA world of how good he really is.

The Cs won every quarter of the game, practically leading wire to wire. As a team, they shot quite efficiently, going 44-of-87 from the field (50.6%) and a scorching 15-of-29 from deep (51.7%).

The Bulls shot similarly, as they converted on 46.6% and 43.6%, respectively, but struggled to get to the line. They missed six of their eight free throws in the first quarter, and only attempted two more the rest of the game. They also committed 18 turnovers to Boston’s 12.

Tatum led the Boston Celtics to their second straight win

He finished the game with 24 points on 10-of-21 from the field to go along with four rebounds and five assists. He was under no minutes restriction in his return to the court and didn’t show any signs of not being up to speed.

His jumper looked as good as ever, making three of his six attempts from distance.

The Duke product has shown his ability to shoot the three both coming off of screens and pulling up off the pick-and-roll.

Tatum’s passing has continued to improve after the bubble, where he took his game to the next level. His bag of tricks has expanded dramatically, roping this left-handed pass to the corner.

Plays like those are something that he would not have been able to do even last year.

He had a few impressive finishes around the rim but overall failed to finish through contact. His next step is to better his inside game around taller defenders, as many points are left on the board with missed shots in the paint.

Often he tries to finesse the ball into the basket rather than going up strong and attempting to draw the foul — something that many Boston Celtics players struggle with.

Nonetheless, he looked great in his return.

His counterpart, Jaylen Brown, continued his stellar play with his fifth straight game of 25+ points, a career-best.

The offense has progressed to a stage where coach Brad Stevens can put the ball in Jaylen’s hands on the second unit and trust him to get a basket.

He has no weaknesses in his game on either end of the floor, and his efficiency has been off the charts this season. On the night, he finished with 26 points on 10-of-21 shooting (same as JT).

Marcus Smart had one of his best offensive games of the season, recording 13 points, 11 rebounds, five rebounds, and two steals in 26 minutes of play. Those 11 assists tie his career-high, as he started at the traditional point guard role with Kemba Walker resting on the second night of a back-to-back.

He got Daniel Theis more involved in the offense, giving him easy looks at the rim, and created offense for himself in the midrange game. Every year of his career, Smart has improved his facilitation and scoring skills, something that is quite helpful when Walker can’t play.

The previously mentioned Theis had another great game for himself, finishing with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting, along with three rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.

He did a little bit of everything, as he has seemingly found his touch from both beyond the arc and in the 15-foot range.

In the last three games, Theis has shown himself as an above-average finisher and shooter for his position, making the double-big lineup with Tristan Thompson more successful than earlier in the season.

The Boston Celtics also got decent production from their bench on Monday, led by rookie Aaron Nesmith.

Nesmith had the best game of his young career, hitting three of his five attempts from distance for nine points. He showed his ability to use screens off-ball to create open looks for himself, fulfilling his role as a knock-down shooter off the bench.

His stroke looks pure and smooth, and Celtics fans should not be worried about his shot, even after a rocky first ten games.

On the defensive end, he competed on every play, even breaking up a fast-break alley-oop attempt from Chicago after he missed a three on the other end. He didn’t make any noticeable mistakes, which is also all you can ask from a rookie without any training camp.

After some of the best play of his career in garbage time on Sunday, Carsen Edwards earned more playing time against Chicago and, in turn, scored six points in 12 minutes, providing more offense off the bench.

His spot in the rotation will likely fluctuate, as he has shown to be a streaky shooter over his young career. But, if he’s shooting the ball well, he can most certainly help a team win, as fans saw him do that at Purdue in college.

For the Bulls, Zach LaVine led the team in scoring, sustaining his hot start to the season. He finished with 30, while teammate Lauri Markkannen scored 18.

Off the bench, veterans Thaddeus Young and Otto Porter Jr. combined for 19 points on 12-of-21 shooting. Young standouts Coby White and Patrick Williams had poor showings, only scoring seven points together

Overall, the Boston Celtics picked up a pretty solid wire to wire win against the Chicago Bulls. This was a game they were expected to win, and it only reminds fans how good this team is going to look when the trio of Tatum, Brown, and Kemba are all active and available to play.

Hopefully, we see that Wednesday in San Antonio.