Boston Celtics: 3 things Jayson Tatum needs to improve on in 2021-22

What Jayson Tatum needs to improve upon No. 3) Tightening handles

Although there are many benefits to Tatum’s high dribble, if he wants to become an elite playmaker and add a reliable floater to his game, he needs to be a little tighter when on the ball.

When Tatum is setting up his man for a side step or step back on the perimeter, it’s not a problem, but once he gets inside the arc it’s too easy to poke the ball free or make Tatum uncomfortable. He could maneuver amongst defenses much easier and get passes off quicker if he had a tighter handle.

A tighter handle would also drastically help his scoring. Not only could he add a better floater to his game, but it would also be much easier to draw fouls.

Part of elite foul drawing is getting the defensive player close enough to jump into while maintaining control of the ball so the offensive player can get into his shooting motion.

It’s hard to get into this action if the ball is bouncing high and erratically. Tatum will go up quicker and more decisively when players try to play him close, and a tighter handle means guys will do just that.

We saw Tatum take this leap in the 2021 playoffs as he battled against Kevin Durant.

He was noticeably faster and more elusive while maintaining an elite level of shot-making. The Boston Celtics need to see this improvement bleed into next season and become a part of Tatum’s strengths because he will need it when playoff defenses key in on trying to turn him over.