Celtics final month stock watch: 3 risers, 1 faller
By Will Eudy
Faller: Jayson Tatum
It is hard to say that anyone on this Celtics team has truly been falling far short of what they are capable of. By and large, the entire roster has been doing everything necessary to win basketball games. The stars have all been living up to expectations, while the role players have been playing to their strengths as well.
Looking at a team with a record of 51-14 and finding anything to be seriously concerned about would honestly be a tall task. But if there is one player who has been playing slightly below their standards as of late, it would have to be Jayson Tatum.
Yes, he is still the Celtics' best player and performing at a level higher than anyone else on the roster in the grand scheme of things. But the last couple of weeks have been a bit of a rough patch for Tatum. Up until Tuesday's win at the Jazz, he had shot below 40% from the floor in each of his previous four games, scoring just 15 points in the loss at Denver.
Jayson will inevitably correct course, but this is not the time of year you want your best player to be going through a slump. Entering the playoffs playing your best basketball is paramount, especially for superstar-level players like Tatum.