The 1 key to Jayson Tatum becoming an elite three-point shooter

Opening Night was all but perfect for Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics. They got their rings, raised Banner 18, and Tatum led them to a dominant win over the New York Knicks. Tatum looked incredible, scoring 37 points and dishing out 10 assists, but perhaps most impressive were his eight three-point baskets.

All summer, Tatum was scrutinized by the media for his poor three-point stroke. He struggled mightily in the playoffs from behind the arc, and while playing for Team USA in the Olympics, he didn’t make a simple jumper. So what made Opening Night so successful for the Celtics star?

Well, he utilized the exact thing that will help him turn around his three-point game.

Step-in threes of screens are crucial for Jayson Tatum

Last year, Tatum shot just 34.7% (93/268) on pull-up jumpers, which made up the majority of his shot profile from beyond the arc. Yet on Tuesday against the Knicks, Tatum shot 6/7 on pull-ups.

The key? Step-in pull-ups.

Pull-up jumpers encapsulate a variety of different jumpers. But Tatum found his rhythm by stepping in off screens and pulling up off the dribble.

Boston’s bigs were essential in this type of shot for Tatum.

As New York sunk into drop coverage with Karl-Anthony Towns at the back, Al Horford and Luke Kornet consistently set Tatum perfectly angled screens to create open threes.

The Celtics star finds a great rhythm with these shots, and from the very start of the game, he was on fire. 

It’s clear that these are some of Tatum’s most comfortable looks, especially with his new jump shot. Since he’s not dipping the ball as much on his shot, and the release is a lot quicker, coming off the screen and rising up directly into a shot is much easier.

Isolation looks didn’t go very well for Tatum last year, but getting some time to work off screens seems to be his new bread and butter. And once he finds a tempo shooting a few threes on the pull-up off screens, he’s ready to let it fly in a variety of ways.

Including wildly contested shots over great defenders.

Tatum was great last season. And despite his poor shooting in the playoffs, he was still one of the most impactful players in the league. But re-unlocking his three-point shot would propel him to new heights.

Kornet and Horford are great at these types of screens, and Xavier Tillman has proven capable, too.

Boston used them repeatedly against the Knicks, and whenever they play bigs in drop coverage, they should go back to it because it may be the key to Tatum finding his mark as an elite shooter.