Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is focusing on improving his offensive decision making this offseason. Celtics skills coach Drew Hanlen explained what he has been focusing on with the budding star:
“The offense is going to put him in situations and he’s going to have to make the right play,” Hanlen said. “I think last year the biggest thing was he settled too much. When he felt contact he would sidestep, step away, and sort of fade away, which he’s capable of making but also are not high-percentage shots, and they don’t cause fouls. It’s just about being a little bit smarter on the way he attacks.”
After a fantastic rookie season, Tatum took a bit of a step back in his sophomore campaign. Even though he averaged more points in his second season, his field goal percentage dropped 2.5 percent and his three-point percentage dropped a whopping 6.1 percent. Tatum barely improved off his rookie mark of making 1.3 treys a game but shot almost an entire extra three per game.
While this doesn't sound too good for Tatum, there is plenty of good news with the bad. He still shot a solid 37.3 percent from downtown last season. He is still one of the better young offensive players in the game. And the Celtics still believe he can become a star, refraining from dealing him even when teams came calling.
If Tatum can iron out the wrinkles in his game mentioned above, he'll have a good chance of bouncing back and taking a bigger role on a revamped Celtics team.
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