Entering the 2024 NBA Finals, there was a bit of a debate regarding whether or not Jayson Tatum is at the level of Luka Doncic. Suffice to say, the first two games of the series haven't exactly gone as smoothly as the Boston Celtics star would have hoped, at least with the way he has shot the basketball. Even though the Celtics are up 2-0 against the Dallas Mavericks, Tatum has taken a bit of a backseat as Boston has come to within two wins of a championship on the back of a team effort.

Tatum has proven to be more than just a scorer. He has been ice-cold from the field, but he has more than made up for it by averaging 10 rebounds and 8.5 assists through the first two games of the series. He remains as valuable of a member as the team's ensemble cast as ever. And Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has nothing but praise for the 26-year old forward as he continues to stay the course even though his shots haven't been falling at his usual rate.

“Jayson makes greatness look easy. He does it in a lot of different ways. He does it on defense, he does it on rebounding, he does it on passing, he does it on screening,” Mazzulla said in his postgame presser, via Daniel Donabedian, Celtics beat reporter for ClutchPoints. “He has the ability to affect the game in different ways.”

Jayson Tatum, through the first two games of this year's Finals, has shot 12-38 from the field, which is “good” for a percentage of 31.5. He is shooting 28.5 percent from deep, so it's not like he's doing much better with his long-range shooting. Nevertheless, the Celtics have found his contributions to be invaluable, and there is reason to believe that he will get back on track soon as they look to finish off the Mavericks.

Celtics star Jayson Tatum does everything but shoot well

Jayson Tatum caught a ton of flak on social media in the middle of his ice-cold shooting night in Game 2 which he finished with 18 points on 6-22 shooting from the field. Tatum is clearly out of rhythm, as his jumpshot has rarely looked right thus far in the 2024 NBA Finals. He had a few bad misses on Sunday night on looks he would usually make, and there was a bit of hesitation on some looks that he would usually let fly with ease and confidence.

However, jump-shooting is always going to be subject to some element of variance. The last thing anyone would want to do is settle whenever their shot isn't on for the night. Tatum, much to the Celtics' benefit, did not settle. He was relentless in attacking the paint and forcing the Mavericks' defense to collapse, and in turn, he created plenty of open looks for the Celtics.

He had a few misses at the rim, so it wasn't always pretty for the Celtics star. But touching the paint is always a positive for any team's offense, especially when the Celtics put five shooters on the court at all times. And to top it all off, he was a huge positive on defense and on the glass.

Nevertheless, Jayson Tatum acknowledged that he has to play better without forcing the issue. His Celtics may be at an advantageous position against the Mavericks, but two years ago, they also took a lead in the NBA Finals and ended up falling short. Thus, Tatum is resolute in staying the course, doing whatever the team needs him to so they can seal the deal.

“I've been here before. We didn't win. We're so close to what we're trying to accomplish. Why would I let my ego or my need to score all the points get in the way of that,” Tatum said, via SportsCenter.

“Obviously I need to shoot better, golly. … We always talk about do whatever it takes, however long it takes. And if I need to have 16 potential assists every single night, and that's what puts us in the best position to win… by all means.”

The memory of the 2022 NBA Finals won't be too pleasing for Jayson Tatum to look back on. Tatum didn't play up to par at the time; not only did he struggle from the field, shooting 36.7 percent (including a 6-18 night in their season-ending Game 6 loss), he also had some turnover problems.

Losing in the Finals despite needing just two wins to claim the Larry O'Brien trophy is a heartbreak that is difficult to move past from. But Tatum and the Celtics have a golden opportunity to exorcise their two-year old demons and hang banner number 18 on the TD Garden rafters. And if takes him having to do the other, more unheralded things on the hardwood, then so be it.

“It's not all about scoring. I can be the guy rebounding and getting assists and drawing attention… Maybe you don't score all the points, but you do all the things that put your guys in the best position to win,” Tatum added.