Boston Celtics: 3 Cs that have disappointed so far in 2021-22

Disappointing Boston Celtics player No. 3) Jayson Tatum

It may be a bit shocking to see the likes of Jayson Tatum on this list considering he’s continued to prove that he can be the team’s top producer in virtually every way this year and is boasting a stellar all-around stat-line of 26.6 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and a block per game.

That said, both watching a player perform and simply looking at the box score numbers can tell a completely different story and, in this case, while the 2x All-Star is still proving to be a menace for opposing defenses to square off against, he’s not exactly playing at the level in which we know he’s capable of.

Through this early stage of the season, the Cs as a whole have been a team filled with inconsistencies and have been affected by the “tale of two halves” syndrome.

Arguably the player who has had the most impact on Boston’s ebb and flow type of play has been Tatum, who has yet to put forth a full four-quarter regulation slate that’s been consistently effective throughout, particularly in the scoring department, i.e. where he earns the bulk of his paycheck.

Just like the Celtics as an entire unit, the 23-year-old finds himself having one far more productive half than in comparison to the other in each of his five games played.

On only two occasions have we seen Tatum drop double digits in both halves of regulation while three times we’ve seen him score two points or less in the crunch-time fourth quarter.

His shooting splits are simply horrendous for someone of his caliber, as he’s converting on just 42 percent of his attempts from the field, 30 percent from deep, and 72 percent from the free-throw line.

On top of all this, he’s struggling to get into his isolation sets with the new coaching staff’s more spread-out offensive system and has seen an uptick in his turnover rate, giving up an average of 2.6 a game.

In order for the Boston Celtics to reach their full potential, Jayson Tatum must be playing at his and, so far, his inconsistent level of play has led the team to their sub-.500 record to start off the year.