Jayson Tatum is entering his second NBA Finals appearance in only his seventh year in the league. A couple of subpar performances in the postseason have hindered his reputation with many NBA fans, but he has a great chance to shut them all up. A slow start in the 2024 NBA Playoffs ultimately didn't hurt Tatum and the Boston Celtics, and he eventually found his groove in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers.
Now, Tatum and the C's have a matchup in the 2024 NBA Finals with the Dallas Mavericks on their schedule. The Celtics dominated the Mavs in their regular season meetings, but that doesn't mean anything now, especially given Dallas' incredible ascension on the defensive end of the floor. The focal point of the Mavericks defensive schemes will be Tatum, with Derrick Jones Jr. likely receiving the difficult assignment.
Tatum struggled immensely in the 2022 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors, despite their lack of a rim protector. The Mavericks will have Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II lurking in the paint throughout this series, so Tatum will have to get creative in finding ways to create open looks for himself and his teammates.
With all that being said, here are a couple of bold predictions for Tatum's second Finals run.
Jayson Tatum scores 40+ points at least twice
Throughout this current playoff run, Tatum has been struggling with his efficiency from the floor, as he's had several games where he has endured subpar shooting nights. Finding his touch in the Pacers series was critical, especially in his impressive Game 3 performance. In some instances, Tatum's killer mentality is questioned, but the clear motivation of dominating Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in the Finals will motivate him to deliver in this series.
The Celtics are known to flourish as a unit because of their extremely talented starting lineup, but there will be a couple of nights where Tatum searches for his shot more and will rack up 40+ points. He has the ability to make it rain from long distance and constantly draw fouls to earn freebies at the line, and Boston is going to need him to be on their A-game if they intend on winning this series.
Jayson Tatum will make 4+ threes in at least three games
Tatum's tendency to chuck it up from long distance might be a blessing in disguise in this series. In the Mavericks previous playoff battles, they worked to clog the paint and funnel the offense to their rim protectors in Gafford and Lively. Naturally, their defense on the perimeter was sacrificed in these instances, so assuming they implement a similar strategy, Tatum will have space to operate with from behind the arc.
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd will likely adjust his schemes on the fly if their previous strategy does not work against Boston. Even if that happens, though, the likelihood of Tatum receiving open looks from rainbow country is pretty high. This specific prediction is banking on Tatum's rapid ascension in long range shooting, but his confidence must be sky high from behind the arc if Boston wants to win the chip.
Jayson Tatum will win NBA Finals MVP
This is more of a double-prediction, as the Celtics will win the elusive 2024 NBA Championship with Tatum claiming the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP. Jaylen Brown earned the Eastern Conference Finals MVP award, but Tatum will get his own hardware after this series. His combination of his size, athleticism, and versatility will be a major factor in Boston's hopes of beating Dallas in this series.
Due to his physical gifts, Tatum has the ability to mix it up throughout the series, as he can kill the Mavericks with his drives to the rim, his patented step-back jumpers, or even just from his triple-threat position from the elbow. The Celtics are four wins away, and it says here that Tatum will bring them to the promised land.
Follow Us
Subscribe