The Boston Celtics got off to a rough start this season despite being one of the favorites to gun for the vacant Eastern Conference throne, now that LeBron James released his stronghold by going West for the first time in his career. Second-year forward Jayson Tatum reflected on the team's subpar start as they head into a two-game week riding a three-game win streak.
“There’s a lot of different reasons, Tatum told MassLive. “Maybe we believed the hype too much and we didn’t come out and perform. There’s a big target on our back. Teams are coming after us and maybe we didn’t understand that fully. Nothing we can do about the past, just focus on each game.”
The Celtics had a lot of adjustments to make from the get-go, ranging from incorporating Gordon Hayward to the lineup after missing nearly the entire season with a dislocated ankle and fractured tibia, to adjusting the roles of their young guns, like Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Head coach Brad Stevens seems to have figured it out before it's too late, as the 13-10 Celtics could sport a season-high five-game win streak by the end of the week if they can get past the New York Knicks on Thursday and the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.
Jayson Tatum has improved his scoring, rebounding, and playmaking from his rookie season, showing only a very slight drop in his shooting percentages — remaining a key cog for this team and one of the most important assets moving forward.
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