Celtics' Jayson Tatum rejects notion of physical issues amid playoff struggles

Sam LaFrance | May 10, 2024

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum blocks Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers. / Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum hasn't quite looked like himself when it's come to scoring in the playoffs. This postseason, he's averaging just 21.7 points per game on 40.7% shooting from the field and 26.7% from deep.

Those numbers are a bit abnormal when looking at his career numbers in the playoffs. Across seven playoff runs, Tatum has averaged 23.6 points per game on 44.1%/35.3% splits. His averages look even better when excluding his first two seasons, where he wasn't quite "the guy" yet.

Due to his dip in production, some have begun to speculate that the 26-year-old could be dealing with an ailment.

The man himself came out and denied any sort of physical issue following his 25-point Game 2 performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“No. It’s as simple as sometimes you don’t shoot the ball as well as you would like," Tatum told reporters (h/t CLNS Media). "You play enough basketball, law of averages, it’ll even out. In the meantime, find a way to win, find a way to impact the game in other ways, scoring is kind of like the least of my worries.”

Though he's had a hard time finding the net in this second-round series, Tatum doesn't feel like he's having any trouble getting his shot off. He dismissed the idea of there being any kind of challenge for him when it comes to creating looks.

“The challenge? I wouldn’t necessarily say it was a challenge," he said. "I obviously wish I had made more shots, been in the league long enough that sometimes you just don’t make them. You just have to continue to take the right shots, and it’ll even out. I don’t really get caught up on that. I know how to score the ball.”

JT and the Celtics will have a chance to get back in the win column on Saturday night in Cleveland when they'll face off against the Cavs in Game 3.