Part of what makes Jayson Tatum great is his ability to get better every season. And his latest improvement might just vault the First-Team All-NBA forward into the MVP conversation.
Tatum made some slight adjustments to his shot this offseason, working with personal trainer Drew Hanlen on a few mechanical aspects such as his hand placement and release point. The early returns have been strong, to say the least: Tatum made 8 of 11 3-pointers and 14 of 18 field goals in a blistering 37-point performance against the New York Knicks on Opening Night, then dropped 25 points on 9 of 20 shooting (3 of 11 from 3-point range) in Thursday's win over the Washington Wizards.
"That's the one where your friends call you and say, 'what's it like guarding Jayson Tatum?!?!'" pic.twitter.com/Isw14Nyo95
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) October 25, 2024
Tatum's new-look shot caught the attention of former Celtics sharpshooter Eddie House after Thursday's victory.
“His shot looks a whole lot better," House said on NBC Sports Boston's Celtics Postgame Live. "It’s coming off of his hands a lot quicker. He doesn’t have that dip that he used to have.
"I was like, 'I don’t know what was wrong with his shot,' because he was making shots. But now that I’m starting to look at it and see him take more and more shots, he doesn’t have that dip and he doesn’t bend so much. It’s quick, boom, and it’s out of there. It’s a lot easier for him to get it off quicker.
"I mean, good luck for everybody else.”
Tatum is one of the most well-rounded players in the league and led the Celtics in points (25.0 per game), rebounds (9.7) and assists (6.3) during the 2024 playoffs to help Boston win Banner 18. But if there was one flaw in his game last postseason, it was his outside shot: He made just 28.3 percent of his 3-pointers over 19 games.
If Tatum continues to dominate the other facets of the game and improves his 3-point shot? He could make an elite Celtics team even more dangerous while making a legitimate run at NBA MVP -- an accolade he admits is still on his to-do list.
"I think just as a kid you set a lot of goals for yourself,” Tatum said after Thursday's game. “I’ve been fortunate enough to check off a lot of boxes of things that I wanted to accomplish, things that my favorite players accomplished.
"Saying that MVP is important to me is not in a way taking away from the success of our team. Every guy that has won MVP has been on a championship contending team. If you’re an MVP, you’re dominating, you’re pushing, you’re playing the right way and you’re impacting winning. So, you can do both.
"Championship is the most important, but being the best version of yourself along the way is important as well."
The Celtics are back in action Saturday night in Detroit against the Pistons, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. ET and NBC Sports Boston's coverage beginning at 6 p.m. with Celtics Pregame Live.
