The Boston Celtics have yet to see the same Jayson Tatum in their playoff series against the New York Knicks that showed up in the first round against the Orlando Magic.
The player who turned in three straight games of at least 35 points to close out the Magic has vanished. Tatum has scored just 36 points on a putrid 28.6% shooting from the field in two crushing losses to the Knicks.
Tatum needs to get his mojo back, and a Celtics legend is trying to help with that.
Paul Pierce, who had an eventful day Thursday after his Game 2 prediction went wrong, had a message for Tatum with the Celtics star struggling and Boston staring at a 2-0 series deficit to New York.
“My message is to Tatum, man, just to remember who you are,” Pierce said, per video from the CelticsMuse X account. “Remember what that name on the back says. It’s Jayson Tatum. Remember that.”
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Tatum morphing back into his six-time All-Star and soon-to-be five-time All-NBA selection self would go a long way for the Celtics.
He has been Boston’s best rebounder and playmaker in the series, but his scoring hasn’t followed suit. Much of that has to do with Tatum’s poor 3-point shooting, which is plaguing the entire team at the moment. Tatum is just 5-from-20 from beyond the arc in the series against the Knicks.
If Tatum can’t find his shot in Saturday’s Game 3, getting to the free-throw line with more regularity would be an easy fix to his offensive woes. Tatum took only two free throws in Game 2. He went to the line double-digit times in three of the four games he played against the Magic.
So, a more aggressive Tatum attacking the basket just might be the secret to getting himself going and changing around the Celtics’ fortunes.
