Jaylen Brown Backs Jayson Tatum Amid Shooting Slump: 'One of the Best Players in the World'

Bobby Krivitsky | May 11, 2024

Mar 14, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) and guard Jaylen Brown. / Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Jayson Tatum is shooting 38.9% from the field through the first two games of the Celtics' Eastern Conference Semifinals series against the Cavaliers. That includes averaging one made three for every five he's hoisting, a 20% conversion rate. 

In Boston's first seven tilts this postseason, he's knocking down only 40.7% of his shots, including 1.6 of his 5.9 (26.8%) attempts from beyond the arc. Both of those are playoff career lows.

However, as explored previously, the outsized attention on scoring has blinded many from Tatum's impact in other areas.

He's averaging ten rebounds this postseason, the second-most to Josh Hart. He's also leveraging defenses loading up to limit his impact as a scorer, facilitating for his teammates. He's done so to the tune of dishing out 5.4 assists.

And despite being at the top of teams' priority list on defense while having a 30.2% usage rate, he's only committing 1.6 turnovers per contest.

"I obviously wish I had made more shots, been in the league long enough that sometimes you just don't make them," said Tatum on the heels of Boston's Game 2 loss to Cleveland. "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."

As the Celtics prepare for Game 3 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Jaylen Brown offered encouragement for the other half of the team's star wing tandem.

"Finding other ways to be impactful; don't want to start forcing anything, just keep playing the way they -- keep drawing the mismatches, drawing, stretching out the defense," voiced Brown while discussing how Tatum's responding to his recent shooting struggles. "It helps the flow of our offense a lot more.

"Just keep playing. I think over the course of the playoffs, over the course of all of that stuff, it'll even itself out. But focus on the game. Each game has a different story, and just stay locked in on that, and I think he will be fine. 

"Jayson is one of the best players in the world. So, it's a part of that. Teams draw coverages to make you get uncomfortable; just take it for what it is, and you make the right play."

As for how the Celtics can free the five-time All-Star for easier scoring opportunities, Brown conveyed, "I think getting out in transition and getting some stops, I think that helps. (In the) last game, we didn't really get enough stops, and we got outrebounded. So, I think that helps. 

"If we get some stops, get out in transition, but also other ways that we can get ourselves going is crash and getting offensive rebounds, the little plays, getting steals, you know, staying involved on defense, making plays at the rim. Those are ways to get yourself going rather than relying on others."

At some point, water will find its level, and Tatum will produce closer to the 26.9 points he averaged in the regular season rather than the 21.8 he's averaging in the playoffs. 

Brown's advice, getting the two-time All-NBA First Team selection the ball in the right spots, and perhaps finding more opportunities for him to attack Darius Garland, who NBA.com's matchup data has Tatum as 5/6 against in the first two games of this semifinal series, could expedite that process.

Ideally, it starts on Saturday night as Boston aims to move two wins away from returning to the Eastern Conference Finals for the third straight year.

Further Reading

Celtics Discuss 'Unacceptable Performance' in Game 2 Loss to Cavs

Cavaliers Stun Celtics in Series-Evening Route

Shooting Struggles Not Preventing Jayson Tatum from Positive Impact: 'They'll Fall'

Derrick White Discusses Joining Elite Company in Game 1 Win vs. Cavaliers

Jaylen Brown Leads Celtics to Tone-Setting Win in Game 1 vs. Cavaliers

Kristaps Porzingis Discusses Target Date to Rejoin Celtics' Playoff Run: 'Doing Everything I Can'