For years, the Celtics have basically been a wagon whenever Jayson Tatum is on the floor. He has become a net rating cheat code of sorts, quietly akin to players like Nikola Jokic. But it has definitely become an issue for the Celtics in keeping things afloat when Tatum is on the bench. They’ve long tried to stagger rotations to make sure that Jaylen Brown was leading the second unit and at least one of the Jays was always on the floor, but it wasn’t working.
In fact, I have to imagine that those numbers played a role in the team’s decision to trade Brown, deeming that it wasn’t sensible to pay supermax money to a player who couldn’t carry bench units without Tatum.
But early on in this season, it looks like the Celtics have made a breakthrough of sorts, as we’ve seen several games in which the team thrives with JT on the bench. We saw that again on Sunday afternoon in Orlando. Boston was in a dogfight with the Magic and clinging to a three-point lead after three quarters; things were getting nervy as Tatum headed to the bench to start the fourth quarter.
Celtics have been holding the fort with Tatum on the bench
In years past, these would have been massively stressful moments where the game could slip away, but this time, we saw quite the opposite. Paul George and Derrick White led the lineup, and helped the Celtics to not only hold the fort, but actually extend their lead.
Baylor Scheierman gave them great minutes over that stretch, as did Luka Garza, and Payton Pritchard came up with a couple of key baskets on an off-shooting night. All told, the Celtics were able to steal a few extra minutes of rest for JT, holding him out until there were just 4 minutes and 22 seconds left in the game, and the Celtics’ lead had grown from three to six.
Building a trustworthy rotation for 48 minutes will keep Tatum fresh
I’m not expecting this to be an every-night thing, but the fact that PG can still ramp it up and take over, and the team can play this well for a long stretch on the road against a good team, is a great sign. Tatum came back in fresh and closed out the game with two huge buckets and two beautiful assists.
He also saved some tread on his tires, as the Celtics will travel to Houston and play another good team in the Rockets on Monday night, the second night of a back-to-back, then another game on Wednesday.
It hasn’t been an issue yet, but the regular season is a long grind, and guys are going to get worn down. The more Boston can keep their best players fresh, the better. If they can grow as a team and rack up wins in the process, that’s even better. So far, that’s what we’ve been seeing, and it’s incredibly encouraging for the Celtics’ long-term chances.
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