The Boston Celtics took a commanding 2-0 series lead in the 2024 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night thanks to a 105-98 victory. And while the C's got the win, their superstar forward in Jayson Tatum was facing quite a bit of criticism once again after he endured another wayward shooting performance in this one.
After shooting just 6/16 in Game 1, Tatum was even worse from the field in Game 2, shooting just 6/22 from the floor this time around. Folks have been dogging Tatum in the media and online all throughout the postseason, and sure enough, he took another beating as a result of this horribly inefficient outing on the biggest stage the NBA has to offer.
And yet, the Celtics still won, and while it may seem like they did so in spite of Tatum, he actually played a big role in this win, just not in the way that many fans would expect from him. So even while it may be easy to make Tatum a punching bag after another tough shooting night, it's important to look at everything he's doing, not just his shooting, in this Finals matchup against Dallas.
How Jayson Tatum is still making a huge impact for Celtics in 2024 NBA Finals
Jayson Tatum's final line from Game 2 is a bit all over the place (18 PTS, 12 AST, 9 REB, 6/22 FGM). As previously noted, he was horrifically inefficient from the floor, missing open layups and threes at an alarming rate. If Tatum hits even three or four more shots, this game probably isn't all that competitive in the fourth quarter.
And yet, Tatum still made massive contributions elsewhere on the floor. His 12 assists were a game high, he played fantastic defense regardless of who he was matched up against, and he once again was Boston's most consistent rebounder on the glass (even though Jrue Holiday actually led the way with 11 boards).
You can take a quick look at the statline, and sure, it's easy to harp on Tatum for taking 22 shots and scoring just 18 points. But when you watch how the Mavericks are defending in this series, particularly against Tatum, it becomes clear that his playmaking abilities that he has spent his entire career building up are helping Boston take control of this series.
After getting torched from behind the arc in Game 1, Dallas didn't really adjust their defense in Game 2, meaning that they still did their best to limit easy points at the rim with Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II lurking in the paint. Boston was happy to keep shooting threes, but they shot just 10/39 as a team from behind the arc in this one. Somehow, it didn't come back to bite them.
That's largely due to Tatum's playmaking. Boston's offense is at their best when they are driving to the paint and kicking the ball out, because it gets Dallas' defense in rotation. Tatum is the guy that the Mavericks are most worried about right now on offense, despite Jason Kidd saying that Jaylen Brown, not Tatum, is the Celtics best player. It was tough to believe that statement rom Kidd given how much attention Tatum was once again drawing in Game 2.
Anytime Tatum drove to the paint, he was bringing multiple defenders with him. When he shot, most of the time, it didn't feel forced. And when he didn't have a look, he moved the ball, either to the perimeter for an open three, or to a guy (often Holiday) cutting to the rim. Dallas was so focused on Tatum's drives to the rim that they were making their biggest defensive strength a weakness, and Holiday feasted in the paint off of the attention that his superstar teammate was receiving.
The 12 assists from Tatum tied a career-high for him, and while his shot wasn't falling, he was still the conductor of Boston's offense, just not in a way that fans are used to seeing from him. And that's the beauty of his performance. Two years ago when the C's went on a run to the Finals, where they lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games, this was the sort of outing that Tatum wasn't capable of producing.
But now, he's finding ways to still be one of the best players on the court even when his shot isn't falling. Yes, he doesn't need to take 22 shots in this game considering how poorly he was shooting the ball, but he still impacted the game in a huge way without scoring bunches of points.
This was the final step Jayson Tatum needed to take in his development as a superstar, and while he will likely get bashed by most folks in the wake of Game 2, he's going to get his due praise here for playing the brand of team basketball that has this team two wins away from raising Banner 18.
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