Like his Celtics who went through their money time, Jayson Tatum had another complicated evening in these 2022 NBA Finals. Despite a very good start to the match, JT chained the bricks as well as the loss of the ball as the meeting progresses. No doubt, Tatoume will have to move at some point.
Mr. Jayson Tatum is called to reception. We repeat, Mr. Jayson Tatum is called to reception. Author of a pure Playoffs campaign this year, punctuated in particular by several masterclasses in the most important moments, JT has still not managed to really launch his Finals. And knowing that we have just completed Game 4, the wait is starting to get a bit long. If Jayson was remarkable in terms of playmaking during the success of Game 1, and very solid overall in the victory of Game 3 in Boston, he continues to pedal in semolina in terms of scoring: 23 points in 23 shots last night (8/23, 4/8 from afar, 3/5 on free throws), the ratio is really not great, even more so when you add six turnovers to his fifteen missed shots during the match. So yes, JT defenders will highlight his activity, he who took 11 rebounds in total (with 1 interception and 3 more blocks) while performing his best imitation of Dave Cowens by throwing himself on the ground to try to recover a ball near from the Boston bench. This last action earned him a nice ovation on the spot, but the public of the TD Garden then sighed in front of the slammed end of the match of the Celtics where JT unfortunately played a real role. Only 1/5 shooting in the last quarter, four consecutive failures to end the game, zero points scored in the last ten minutes of the game. It stings the eyes, Boston notably chaining sterile possessions in one-on-one in money time.
“Sometimes he looks for faults,” said Ime Udoka after the game to explain Tatum’s struggles inside the 3-point line. “He attacks the basket, he tries to be both a scorer and a playmaker. The Warriors are doing a good job with their rotations. Sometimes he searches for faults instead of trying to conclude. That’s what I’ve seen for several games. »
Logically wishing to take advantage of certain match-ups that can be considered favorable in isolation (for example against Nemanja Bjelica, Stephen Curry or Kevon Looney), Tatum and the Celtics fell back into their ways with an attack in dire need of movement. And against a defense as solid as that of Golden State, it does not forgive.
This disappointing performance from Tatum adds to an overall production quite far from the standards of the guy. In the first four innings of these NBA Finals, the Celtics star runs at only 22.3 points on average with a very dirty 33.4% shooting. An even dirtier figure when you know that JT is paradoxically skillful in the parking lot (42.5% on the series), but he struggles as soon as it comes to concluding closer to the circle or halfway. He tries to be aggressive, he tries to put pressure on the Dubs defense, but that comes with a lot of waste today. Maybe his shoulder had something to do with it, maybe not. What is certain, however, is that Jayson will have to raise his level of play rather quickly because there is a new best-of-three series which is about to begin on Monday evening. And there will be no room for latecomers.
” It’s that simple. I have to be better. I know I can be better. […] I know I impact the game in other aspects of the game, but I have to be more efficient, shoot better, and finish better near the circle. »
– Jayson Tatum, in a post-match press conference
Jayson Tatum is only 24 years old, and these are his first career NBA Finals. An element not to be forgotten, even if he assures that the pressure which accompanies his responsibilities does not affect him today. The good news for JT is that he has a great opportunity to catch up on Monday night and knowing the talent of the guy, there is bound to be a Jayson Tatum Game that will fall at some point.
Text source: post-match press conference
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