Jayson Tatum didn’t have a great game in Wednesday afternoon’s season opener against the Pistons. That’s a fact. He shot 6-for-23 from the floor, 1-for-7 from three, only attempted 1 free throw, and only managed to pull down 4 rebounds.
He managed just 2 points after halftime on 1-10 shooting, and when the Celtics started crumbling down the stretch, he was unable to offer any resistance, instead trying to force the issue and settling for some tough shots. His three-ball looked off. His lift around the rim wasn’t great. And it all added up to a disappointing performance from JT that obviously feels worse thanks to a blown 22-point second-half lead in a total collapse as a standalone game on national television.
Tatum criticism is way over the top
And as you can probably imagine, the discourse was perfectly reasonable, level-headed, and nuanced. Just kidding. The past 24+ hours have been completely ridiculous, with every talking head and media analyst coming out of the woodwork to rip on Tatum and make some over-the-top, definitive statements.
Stephen A. Smith went off on Tatum on ESPN’s First Take, blaming him for splitting up with Jaylen Brown. Boogie Cousins ripped Tatum’s performance, claiming the injury can no longer be an excuse. Vince Carter talked about how he thinks Tatum might not be ‘the guy’ now that Brown is gone. Colin Cowherd went on a rant about how he’s more of a supporting player than an alpha. And that’s just a sampling of some of the comically dumb hot takes that have been flying around.
Everyone needs to just pump the brakes. It was one game. Yes, Tatum missed some shots and looked like he was pressing a bit, but he’s going to be just fine. He had 11 assists and was making plays all night off of his gravity. He was also being hounded all night by Ausar Thompson, who may be the best perimeter defender in the sport.
Tatum is going to just fine
It was also his first time in a real game playing with most of this roster, and Joe Mazzulla was mixing and matching lineups all night to find the right mix and chemistry. Oh, and it’s also just over 18 months since the Achilles injury, and JT played 37 minutes, including the entire first and third quarters.
Was it perfect? Absolutely not. Were there reasons for concern? Absolutely not.
There are real worries for this Celtics team, but the play of Jayson Tatum is not one of them. He’s still an elite basketball player, he’s going to get into a rhythm, get back up to speed, and get acclimated to his teammates. The fact that 13 points, 11 assists, and 4 rebounds is being talked about like some kind of national disaster should tell you everything you need to know about the situation.
This was one game. It was a weird start time in a hostile road environment against a very good team that has a lot of continuity from last season and a chip on their shoulder from an ugly playoff loss. It’s not the end of the world. Tatum is Tatum. He’s going to settle in and be just fine, and so will the Celtics.
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