Jayson Tatum: 'So Much More' To Basketball Than Just Scoring

Highlights

Jayson Tatum emphasizes more than scoring, showing prowess in ball movement and creating opportunities for teammates offensively.
Celtics’ offensive success in the playoffs was attributed to a drive-and-kick-centric offense, relying on three-point shooting and quick attack.
Boston excels when avoiding isolation scoring and sticking to the principles of their offense for efficiency and championship prospects.

The Boston Celtics dominated both ends of the court in the 2023-24 NBA regular season. They finished first in offensive rating at 122.2 and second in defensive rating at 110.6. They carried their strong play into the playoffs, losing only twice before advancing to the NBA Finals to face the Dallas Mavericks. Boston’s offensive engine starts with the dynamic play on the wings of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. They average a combined 51 points per game this postseason.

However, Tatum wants NBA fans and media outlets to know he puts his fingerprints on the game in many areas besides putting the ball in the basket.

“People want to just see me score 35 every night, but there’s just so much more to the game of basketball, and so much more that I bring to the table.”

While he might be known for isolation scoring, post fades, and sidestep triples, Tatum knows he contributes to Boston’s high-octane offense in more ways than one. When most of the opposition’s attention is on him and Brown, other guys like Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Kristaps Porziņģis, and Al Horford need to be in the best position to punish the defense for over-helping.

In Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Tatum displayed his offensive versatility in crunch time. With the Celtics down 111-106 inside the final two minutes, he drew two defenders off Horford’s curl screen and drove to the basket off the catch. Tatum realized this and threw an on-target behind-the-back pass to Horford for a corner three.

Ball Movement is Key

Every player must be ready to shoot when the rock finds him

Head coach Joe Mazzulla emphasizes the importance of spacing and three-point volume. All of Boston’s top eight players in the rotation are threats from beyond the arc. However, Holiday, White, Brown, Tatum, and Payton Pritchard also serve as threats to slash to the basket, forming an ideal environment for a drive-and-kick centric offense.

Boston Celtics 3PT Stats 2024 Playoffs
Category	Stat	Rank
3PM	14.6	1
3PA	39.8	1
3P%	36.8	6
3FG frequency	47.4%	1

On a recent episode of Mind the Game, LeBron James and JJ Redick discussed what makes the Celtics’ offense so difficult to stop. James highlighted the fact the Celtics play off the catch and attack closeouts quickly, not giving the defense enough time to recover.

The Celtics’ offense typically struggles when they resort to too much isolation scoring. Even though Brown and Tatum are capable of scoring by themselves, it is not the most efficient option. If Boston can stick to its three-point shooting principles off drive-and-kicks, they will put themselves in the best position to hoist the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy in 2024.