J.J. Redick explains how Jayson Tatum can become a Top-5 player
After scoring just 12 points on 3-17 shooting in Game 1, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum bounced back in Game 2 of the NBA Finals with a far more efficient 28 points. At 25.5 points per game this postseason, Tatum has shown he’s one of the best young scorers in the NBA. For him to take his game to the next level, though, ESPN’s J.J. Redick says it’ll take growth in another part of his game.
On ESPN’s Get Up, Redick says Tatum needs to make better use of his size and his playmaking.
“There’s too many times when he has a size advantage on a switch. He used that ‘James Harden” rip-through to try to draw fouls when he gets close to the basket,” he said. “He needs to just shoot over the top and just score and keep the game simple.”
Even with the poor shooting in his Finals debut, Tatum helped Boston to their Game 1 win with 13 assists. When he’s a threat to both score and play make, that’s when he’s at his best. It’s when he thinks too much with the ball where Tatum is compromised.
“I think he gets himself into trouble sometimes in trying to draw fouls and then it’s a wild shot or then he has to pass late and it’s a turnover. I think (he’s) overthinking the game,” said Redick.
Tatum has averaged a little over four turnovers a game in the 2022 postseason. His ability as a dual threat, though, has been enough to get the Celtics to their first NBA Finals since 2010. If he can improve on that assist-to-turnover ratio, it won’t just help Boston win a title. Redick says it would launch him into being a Top-5 player.
“Every player has to be aggressive. It’s the thinking of the game part. We’ve seen great growth and we’ve seen an evolution there,” he said. “He was excellent as a playmaker in Game 1. That’s the part of his game where if he wants to be a Top-5, Top-4 player, it’s the LeBron James, every possession thinking and manipulating the defense.”
Tatum will get his next chance to show that against the Warriors defense in Game 3. The series is headed to Boston with tipoff set for 9 ET on Wednesday night.