Ime Udoka Has Advice for Jayson Tatum After Late Game 4 Struggles

The Celtics head coach advised his forward to try to shoot more twos, and it doesn’t have to be over the top.

Jayson Tatum scored a Celtics team-high of 23 points on Friday night in Game 4 of the NBA finals vs. the Warriors. 

Despite scoring the most points on the team, the forward also had the most misses. He shot 8-of-23 on field goals, while shooting 4-of-8 on three-pointers. Tatum only scored seven points in the second half, when the team really needed him to step up and help them avoid a late collapse.

Boston ended up losing 107–97 to Golden State, tying the series at two games a piece.

After the game, Celtics coach Ime Udoka decided to offer some advice to his star forward as the team prepares for Game 5 on Monday night.

“Yeah, what I would say is don’t be opposed to taking twos,” Udoka said, via NESN. “Some pull-up jumpers, some of those things, instead of going all the way to the rim. It doesn’t have to be either/or as far as that. We talked about the balance, how much we rely on him to score and get other guys involved. Sometimes that balance leads to taking some shots or over-penetrating when he has a clean pull-up or two. Nothing wrong with the floater, mid-range pull-up to get yourself going, especially when the crowd is sitting there at the rim.”

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Tatum has been struggling making twos during the entire finals series. He’s averaging just 33.4% from the field, which is much less than his average throughout the entire postseason. In every series before the finals, Tatum averaged in the mid-40s on his two-point shots.

During the 2021–22 regular season, Tatum averaged 45.3% from the field.

Even with his Game 4 struggles, Tatum still leads 2022 playoffs in total points, per StatMuse. Additionally, he ranks third in total steals, fifth in total rebounds and fifth in total blocks.

• Inside The Celtics: From Adjustments to Where it Ranks Among His Best NBA Finals Performances, Celtics, Warriors, Discuss Stephen Curry’s 43-point Game 4 Masterpiece 

For more Boston Celtics coverage, go to Inside The Celtics.