Boston Celtics stud, Jayson Tatum, is one of the best and brightest young stars in the league today–this is simply an undeniable truth.
After five seasons of donning the green and white threads and seeing an obscene amount of success with every passing campaign, 2021-22 proved to be his best run of the bunch, both from an individual and overall team perspective.
Playing in 76 outings, Tatum went on to post stellar per-game averages of 26.9 points, eight boards, 4.4 rebounds, one steal, and just over half a block per game.
With his excellence on the hardwood, the wing received numerous accolades such as his third consecutive All-Star nod and his first ever First-Team All-NBA selection, all while spearheading the charge towards the club’s first NBA Finals appearance in over a decade.
With him, along with fellow star wing, Jaylen Brown, in tow, the Boston Celtics seem to be in a position to truly dominate the league for the next several years to come.
Having said that, though it may be hard to believe considering his dominance since entering the NBA back in 2017, there are still a few areas in Tatum’s game that could still use some fine-tuning before he can officially enter the pantheon of NBA stars, and, according to the folks at Bleacher Report, his main area of weakness appears to be shooting consistency.
"Some nights, Tatum looks like he can’t miss from all three levels, combining an incredible variety of footwork and touch. On others, he’ll leave fans and coaches shaking their heads with his shot selection.In the playoffs alone, Tatum shot 50.0 percent or better from the floor nine times, under 40.0 percent nine times and in the 40’s just six times. It was often feast or famine for the Celtics star.Naturally, Tatum’s efficiency has a direct correlation with Boston’s success.Tatum made 48.0 percent of his total shots and 39.7 percent of his threes during wins, numbers that crumbled to just 40.4 percent overall and 26.3 from deep in losses.Finding a new level of consistency would do wonders for a Celtics offense that we saw get stagnant a lot during the regular season and playoffs. Adding point guard Malcolm Brogdon should help with getting Tatum some early shots in his favorite spots as well."
For his career, Tatum’s shooting efficiencies have had a direct correlation with the team’s overall successes.
In games where the Boston Celtics have won, the star wing finds himself sporting shooting splits of nearly 50 percent from the field, 42 percent from deep, and 87 percent from the free throw line.
In losses, however, his efficiency dips quite considerably, as he converts on just 42 percent of his shots from the field, 32 percent from downtown, and 81 percent from the line.
His inconsistencies in the shooting department were also on full display during this year’s Finals, as he shot below 40 percent from the floor in four of the six games, and hit his absolute low right from the jump, as he finished Game 1 with a putrid 17.6 percent shooting clip.
With or without a consistent shooting stroke, Jayson Tatum has proven himself to be an undeniable star in this league. However, if he were to work on developing a consistent jumper, then he’d be able to legitimately place himself into the superstar stratosphere.