Boston Celtics: 3 players that must step up in do or die Game 6

Boston Celtics player No. 3) Jayson Tatum

Seeing Jayson Tatum listed here today may be a little confusing for some to see. After all, the All-Star wing just put up 34 points in Game 5 and is averaging 24.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.2 blocks in this series alone.

That said, while his stat line is certainly a sight to see, the way in which he’s cultivated these numbers, particularly when it comes to his scoring, has proven to be a bit troubling.

2021-22 has easily been the least efficient season of his NBA tenure from a shooting perspective and, in turn, found himself converting at a career-low rate of 35 percent from deep. Sadly, these woes have rolled right along into the postseason, particularly in this second round, as he’s shooting at just 39 percent from the floor and 30 percent from beyond the arc.

For a player on the cusp of superstardom, these are not the kind of splits you want to see.

Not only have his shooting struggles been a negative for Boston, but his slow starts to games are truly problematic, as a slump from the focal point to kick off the game only bleeds into the C’s looking to play catch-up later on.

In the first half of each of these games in round two, Tatum is averaging just 10 points on a sub-par 32 percent shooting from the floor whereas, through the final two periods, we see the 24-year-old boasting averages of 14.8 points on a much more efficient 45 percent shooting from deep.

Starting out the Game 6 on a hot note could set Boston up nicely for an overall successful contest and, in order for them to accomplish this, they’ll need their franchise cornerstone to come out of the gates swinging.