Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics is looking to improve on other aspects of his offensive game. According to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe, the sophomore star is working on increasing his trips to the charity stripe.
Tatum on getting to the line:
"The type of player I want to be, all the guys that score 20-25 a night shoot at least eight free throws a game. That’s the way to get points. So you’ve got to learn to insert that to your game."— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) February 6, 2019
Tatum hasn't quite had the quantum leap that many expected from him after a magnificent rookie campaign.
His numbers in the regular season didn't really stand out. But with his excellent play in the post-season, leading a depleted Celtics squad to a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals against LeBron James, expectations for the third overall pick in the 2017 draft grew bigger.
To be fair, Tatum has had an increased role with Boston this season, and his numbers and shot attempts have gone up. But his efficiency as a scorer has dipped a bit. His field goal percentage slightly dropped from 47.5 percent last year to 45.1 percent this season. Moreover, he's hitting his threes at a lesser rate, at just 37.2 percent in year two from 43.4 percent in year one.
What's remained constant are his free-throw attempts. The super sophomore is averaging just roughly three attempts from the line this season – identical to his number of trips in his rookie year.
One thing that keeps Tatum from getting to the line more is his tendency to settle for mid-range pull-ups, instead of taking it strong to the rack. Around 52 percent of his shot attempts come from 15 feet and beyond, compared to 32 percent coming from within five feet. Moreover, nearly 63 percent of his shots are from pull-up jumpers and catch-and-shoot situations.
If Tatum really wants to improve this aspect of his game, he should attack the basket more often – and he's been doing this more frequently nowadays compared to earlier in the season. This, however, doesn't guarantee more trips to the line. He still has to learn the art of drawing fouls, which players like James Harden and his idol Kobe Bryant have mastered throughout their careers.
Follow Us
Subscribe