"I put in too much work to worry or doubt" - Jayson Tatum on getting over his initial shooting woes this season
Jayson Tatum has proven himself to be an elite three-level scorer who can get a bucket at will. He got off to a slow start in the 2021-22 season and is currently shooting a career low. However, Tatum said he wasn't worried about his shooting slump because he's put in too much work to doubt himself.
Tatum had an efficient game against the Lakers and ended the night with 37 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, three steals and a block to lead the Boston Celtics to a dominant victory over their arch rivals. He looked more like himself as he was aggressive in picking his spots, driving to the rim at will and shooting 44.4% from the perimeter. His combination of size and skill allows him to dominate smaller players and hold his own against bigger forwards such as Anthony Davis.
As per The Athletic's Jay King, Jayson Tatum addressed his shooting slump this season in a post-game interview. The Boston Celtics star spoke about how he wasn't worried about his struggles after a dominant game against the Lakers. Here's what he said:
"I ain't think I'd be shooting this bad at the beginning of the season. But I was never worried. I put in too much work to worry or doubt."
Jayson Tatum: "I ain't think I'd be shooting this bad at the beginning of the season. But I was never worried. I put in too much work to worry or doubt."
The Boston Celtics will hope Jayson Tatum has many more effective games like the one against the Lakers, with their top scorer Jaylen Brown being sidelined at the moment.
Can Jayson Tatum guide the Boston Celtics to a deep playoff run?
The Boston Celtics started out the 202-/22 season after a rollercoaster off-season where they saw a massive overhaul in both the coaching staff, roster and front-office. Longtime Celtics executive Danny Ainge stepped down while Celtics head coach Brad Stevens was promoted to president of basketball operations, and Ime Udoka was hired as his replacement.
Stevens' first move was to trade Kemba Walker to allow Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown more touches, giving them better opportunities to score. Al Horford was brought back to give the Celts the big man they so desperately needed after a few failed experiments. The roster looked much better and was meant to be more effective.
Unfortunately for the C's, this came at a time when the Eastern Conference was packed with strong teams like the Miami Heat and New York Knicks, apart from behemoths such as the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will have to play consistently at an elite level and the likes of Dennis Schroder and Marcus Smart will have to step up in order for them to stand a chance of beating the aforementioned teams.
The Celtics are a couple of good pieces away from contending, but for now it seems highly unlikely that they will reach the conference finals unless Tatum plays the way he played against the Lakers or better for an entire postseason.
The 37-PT, 11 REB double-double from @jaytatum0 lifts the @celtics to the big home win. https://t.co/SzHYQNNAmm