Why Boston Celtics wing Jayson Tatum is missing at the rim (video breakdown)

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2019/10/why-boston-celtics-wing-jayson-tatum-is-missing-at-the-rim-video-breakdown.html



Why Boston Celtics wing Jayson Tatum is missing at the rim (video breakdown)




Updated Oct 29, 2019; Posted Oct 29, 2019

Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum drives past Toronto Raptors' Fred VanVleet (23) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Friday, Oct. 25, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)




By John Karalis | JKaralis@masslive.com




Jayson Tatum came into this season promising to change his shot profile. Efficient scoring in the NBA relies on layups, free throws, and 3-pointers.

He has the 3-point shooting down. Right now he’s shooting 45.5 percent on 7.3 attempts per game. While that percentage will almost certainly level off, the attempts are right where they should be.

So is the attacking. Tatum’s more aggressive mindset is evident, and he’s pretty much getting to the spots he wants. However, he’s not finishing.


Tatum enters the Bucks game on Wednesday night shooting 10-for-21 in the restricted area. That’s not good. We can safely say that Tatum won’t shoot 47.6 percent around the rim all year long, especially considering he came in shooting better than 60 percent from that range.

Still, this style of play is a bit of an adjustment. He’s focused on attacking, which is great, but now he has to take the next step. In watching his 24 shot attempts in the restricted area, there are a few simple adjustments he can make to turn those misses into finishes. Here’s a look at a few.


1. He needs to get better at changing direction


Jayson Tatum drives against Al Horford

Tatum has the right idea here. He drives, drops his left shoulder to bump Al Horford off the spot, but then he’s a little out of control and he has to resort to an awkward spinning finish.

What he should be doing in that spot is what’s called a jump stop.


An illustration of where Jayson Tatum should jump stop

Instead those two big steps, the jump stop allows him to change directions while under control. Watch Kemba Walker do it.


Kemba Walker drives against Toronto

It’s a little bit of a different situation, but he accomplished the same thing. He drove, he quickly changed direction under control, and he cleared himself some space to get the finish.


2. He needs to get better at changing speeds


Jayson Tatum drives against New York

He got past Marcus Morris. What Tatum decided to do at that point was try to glide to the rim but he was going too fast. He could have done the same jump stop move here, or he could have taken one more dribble once Morris was on his hip, get a step closer to the rim, and jump backwards a little to get the contact.


An illustration of where Jayson Tatum should change speeds

We saw Kemba catch Matisse Thybulle twice in Philadelphia with the slow-down-to-draw-contact move. Effectively changing speeds is an important element of any driving player’s game. Eventually, Tatum will learn to feel the defender on his hip and know that by manipulating his speed and angle, he can draw fouls. If the shot goes in, it’s an and-one. If it misses, it doesn’t count as a field goal attempt and he gets to go to the line.


3. He needs to up fake


Jayson Tatum drives against Toronto

A benefit of being under control and changing direction and speed is being able to shot fake in traffic.

In this play, Kyle Lowry flopped trying to get the call. Serge Ibaka simply timed the shot and blocked it.


An illustration of where Jayson Tatum should have upfaked

Tossing a fake or two around a shot blocker is an easy way to draw fouls or get easy buckets. The key, again, is being in control. This could have been an nice, easy finger roll or free throws.


4. He needs better recognition

Jayson Tatum drives
Jayson Tatum drives against Toronto

Tatum seems so focused on getting to the rim that he’s putting his head down and attacking with reckless abandon. While it’s great to see him attacking, an easy way to bring that percentage back up is to pass out of some of those especially tough situations.


An illustration of when Jayson Tatum should pass

Coming off the Grant Williams screen, he needs to immediately understand the Toronto Raptors are in a drop coverage. That means Serge Ibaka is sagging way down in the lane to prevent an easy basket.

This should be an easy play to recognize. Once he gets the ball he should see Semi Ojeleye and Jaylen Brown have their defenders occupied down by the baseline. By the time he’s at the right elbow, he should feel that he has his own defender on him, Ibaka in front of him, and Lowry to his right. That’s all five defenders accounted for.

Meanwhile, he just got the pick from Williams at the top of the key. Tatum should have recognized that pass was there the moment he picked up his dribble.

This is where film work comes into play. These are all very simple things to fix with time and repetition.

Sometimes Tatum is just going to miss shots at the rim. Everyone does. But with some time to make a few adjustments, Tatum can get back to finishing at the rim at a high rate and drawing fouls.



bob




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Jeez he looks really weak

cowens/oldschool wrote:Jeez he looks really weak

Cow,

I don't know if I'd call it "weak" so much as "not complex". He's attacking the rim, and that makes me happy. It's why his ftas are up this season-to-date. His game is just still simple and needs more complexity. This will come, he's not even 22 yet.

This is the downside of drafting 19 year olds. Their games tend to be fairly obvious and straightforward because they've only been playing for, what, 5-6 years? Since Middle School? Jayson is now in his 3rd NBA season and everybody is expecting him to play like he's 27 and in his prime. 27 isn't just physical prime, it's professional prime. It's when you've been doing it for so long you know all you need to know and your only limitations are physical (e.g. height, foot speed). Tatum is not in his prime nor, in my opinion, even close to it. He still needs to add muscle and he needs to become craftier. THIS is where Kobe could have helped him. Instead, what it looks like, is that he just told him to take more shots. Nothing wrong with that, unless the defenders can predict what that shot will be because he's easily scouted due to his lack of complexity.


bob


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Seems like this article is just a long-winded way of rephrasing that he needs to get better at driving to the basket.

Shamrock1000 wrote:Seems like this article is just a long-winded way of rephrasing that he needs to get better at driving to the basket.

Probably true. I think you got to that point way faster!

Also probably the privilege of being a sports writer. You can watch the game and look at the video, but do you really fully understand what you're seeing? The author is very likely a good journalist, but how far does his own basketball experience go as to playing or coaching? It's all interpretation and you've got to write something.

My own interpretation is Tatum is just fine. He's 21. AND, he's showing enough that you're almost surely looking at a multi-season All-Star in the making. Right now... he's 21.

Bob that’s all true, but was still shocked how bad he looked, almost reminded me of Kelly O. Where is the poised killer that carried us in 18 playoffs? That sure didn’t look like him, there’s 2 wings that are younger than him that right now sure look like better finishers, Luka and RJ Barret, and both are younger. Just surprised how off balance he looked. Jaylen also looks better finishing and I know he’s a year older.

He better start doing some squats, once Paul Pierce had you on his hip, he could score on anybody, hopefully he’ll get there soon....

He is avoiding contact.   He is hell bent on shooting and is missing open teammates.  He lacks change of pace.  

I think he will figure it out but he definitely needs to give the ball up on fast break and just fill the lanes.  He still lacks the strength to play through contact (i.e like Jaylen Brown)  He plays one on one too much.  His best offensive skill is as a catch and shoot guy and an excellent FT shooter.  He just needs to take his time and not rush.  Be quick but don't hurry!

cowens/oldschool wrote:He better start doing some squats, once Paul Pierce had you on his hip, he could score on anybody, hopefully he’ll get there soon....

Pierce is such an under-rated scorer and player. I remember even his first year in the league, he was getting around 19 a night consistently. It always annoyed me when people described his game as "nonathletic". As you alluded, the dude was strong. Isn't strength part of athleticism? Also, Pierce he remarkable body control, which allowed him to hit tough shots. That to me is a type of athleticism. From what I can gather, for sports writers, athleticism narrowly refers to the ability to jump high and/or run fast in a straight line. Obviously that wasn't Paul. Also, he didn't have a ripped physique, so that probably figured into the nonathletic myth.

Pierce abused people.  He was virtually unstoppable because he could get to the rim and he looked for contact and if you gave him space he would simply take and make the jumper.  He could score at all 3 levels.

I think Tatum can get there.

Watch some/any Kawhi footage. He looks like he's playing and thinking in slow motion yet literally burning down your house scoring on you. In absolutely no rush at all. Truly fascinating.

db

Tatum is still very young and inexperienced so he has plenty of time to grow into becoming a great player for us.

Unfortunately key metrics do not always tell us what is best for a player.  An effective midrange game is a killer.  Taking 3's and getting to the rim is really not a complete offensive strategy.

dboss wrote:Tatum is still very young and inexperienced so he has plenty of time to grow into becoming a great player for us.

Unfortunately key metrics do not always tell us what is best for a player.  An effective midrange game is a killer.  Taking 3's and getting to the rim is really not a complete offensive strategy.

Eventually, I wonder if defenses will be so willing to allow mid-range shots that they will become more efficient. Most NBA players can hit open midrange shots at a clip above 50%.

Shamrock1000 wrote:

dboss wrote:Tatum is still very young and inexperienced so he has plenty of time to grow into becoming a great player for us.

Unfortunately key metrics do not always tell us what is best for a player.  An effective midrange game is a killer.  Taking 3's and getting to the rim is really not a complete offensive strategy.

Eventually, I wonder if defenses will be so willing to allow mid-range shots that they will become more efficient. Most NBA players can hit open midrange shots at a clip above 50%.

Rock, analytics are the driving force behind how coaches coach.   

Success comes when coaches use all the tools at their disposal.  The 3 pointer is the weapon of choice and we know how much Brad loves the 3 ball however give me a diverse offense.  I do not think you should sacrifice efficiency in one area and focus on another.  

Analytics can help a player focus on being more efficient but at the same time it does not teach a guy when to shoot the 3 or when to drive.  It does not tell a guys when a pull up 2 point jumper may be the most efficient shot on a particular possession.  Only experience can teach that lessen.

Tatum tried to be Kobe last year and it did not work.  This year he is trying to focus on taking 3's and getting to the rim.  I think he should do those things but also take quality 2 point shots.  That is the only way for him to become a complete offensive player.  He needs to be more unpredictable.

dboss wrote:

Shamrock1000 wrote:

dboss wrote:Tatum is still very young and inexperienced so he has plenty of time to grow into becoming a great player for us.

Unfortunately key metrics do not always tell us what is best for a player.  An effective midrange game is a killer.  Taking 3's and getting to the rim is really not a complete offensive strategy.

Eventually, I wonder if defenses will be so willing to allow mid-range shots that they will become more efficient. Most NBA players can hit open midrange shots at a clip above 50%.

Rock, analytics are the driving force behind how coaches coach.   

Success comes when coaches use all the tools at their disposal.  The 3 pointer is the weapon of choice and we know how much Brad loves the 3 ball however give me a diverse offense.  I do not think you should sacrifice efficiency in one area and focus on another.  

Analytics can help a player focus on being more efficient but at the same time it does not teach a guy when to shoot the 3 or when to drive.  It does not tell a guys when a pull up 2 point jumper may be the most efficient shot on a particular possession.  Only experience can teach that lessen.

Tatum tried to be Kobe last year and it did not work.  This year he is trying to focus on taking 3's and getting to the rim.  I think he should do those things but also take quality 2 point shots.  That is the only way for him to become a complete offensive player.  He needs to be more unpredictable.

Dboss - in the long run, diversifying your portfolio usually pays off.

dboss wrote:He is avoiding contact.   He is hell bent on shooting and is missing open teammates.  He lacks change of pace.  

I think he will figure it out but he definitely needs to give the ball up on fast break and just fill the lanes.  He still lacks the strength to play through contact (i.e like Jaylen Brown)  He plays one on one too much.  His best offensive skill is as a catch and shoot guy and an excellent FT shooter.  He just needs to take his time and not rush.  Be quick but don't hurry!

Avoiding contact is a big reason. He will learn, the light switch will switch. As Richard Jefferson said today he has got very good game and expects him to keep taking steps the next few years getting better. He has to learn to use his body to protect the ball. He finally did that on the Freak tonight and the Freak pushed him from behind, he didn't get the call but he definitely was using his body to ward him off and the refs blew the call. Remember folks he is 21 years old and still learning. Most everyone on TV shows and coaches rave about him, except on Sam's board. That player from the playoffs in 18 was there in the second half tonight, with 20 points , 4-6 from 3, and a huge block on the freak.

Patience grasshopper patience.

Jayson is averaging over 20 ppg and 9 rb per game. At 21. I am not worried about the development of Mr. Jayson Tatum.

So Tatum is one of the keys to the comeback win. Scores 25, including a couple of timely 3s. Where are the Doubting Debbies today?

He needs to do this better, he needs to do that better... Yeah, he might not amount to so much. When does he turn 22?

Just my two cents; enjoy watching this kid. And maybe, just maybe, we don't need to compare him to Paul Pierce or anyone else.

He's not the next Paul Pierce. He's the first Jayson Tatum.

NYCelt wrote:So Tatum is one of the keys to the comeback win. Scores 25, including a couple of timely 3s. Where are the Doubting Debbies today?

He needs to do this better, he needs to do that better... Yeah, he might not amount to so much. When does he turn 22?

Just my two cents; enjoy watching this kid. And maybe, just maybe, we don't need to compare him to Paul Pierce or anyone else.

He's not the next Paul Pierce. He's the first Jayson Tatum.

+1

Different games....

gyso wrote:

NYCelt wrote:So Tatum is one of the keys to the comeback win. Scores 25, including a couple of timely 3s. Where are the Doubting Debbies today?

He needs to do this better, he needs to do that better... Yeah, he might not amount to so much. When does he turn 22?

Just my two cents; enjoy watching this kid. And maybe, just maybe, we don't need to compare him to Paul Pierce or anyone else.

He's not the next Paul Pierce. He's the first Jayson Tatum.

+1

He balled out in the 2nd half but he still needs to work on finishing at the rim.  That is the subject of this thread.

I think there is a big difference between doubting that a player can do something and recognizing areas where improvement is needed and can be achieved.

I'm just saying.

Right dboss, hey I’m extremely glad his 3 point efficiency has improved and he’s hitting them at key moments. Obviously if he can improve his finishing and get to the line more, he will be a 25 ppg scorer.

cowens/oldschool wrote:Right dboss, hey I’m extremely glad his 3 point efficiency has improved and he’s hitting them at key moments. Obviously if he can improve his finishing and get to the line more, he will be a 25 ppg scorer.

Cow

Tatum has a legit shot at making the allstar team.  I think he is that good.  One of the things I have talked about quite a bit is getting your top guys more minutes and more scoring opportunities.  Last year there were really too many guys deserving of minutes and scoring opportunities.  In the end we had a watered down version of guys like Tatum, Brown and Hayward.

So far this year looks different.  I think we are going to have 4 guys averaging between 18-25 PPG.

JT is already at 22 PPG (rounded up) and given his FGA's I do not see his scoring average falling below 20 PG.  Those are allstar level numbers.

In many respects JT is just scratching the surface.  GH is averaging 18 PPG (rounded up) 7.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists.  he is also shooting 58% from deep.  He is really starting to cook on offense.   After a slow start Kemba looks like a scoring machine (25 PPG) but his production is not singular.

JB is averaging 17 PPG (rounded down) and he is shooting 50% on FG with 6.7 rebounds and 2 assists.  His defense has been stellar.  

So all 4 of our top guns are looking good and Marcus Smart compliments everyone of them.

What a difference a year makes.

More please.

dboss wrote:

cowens/oldschool wrote:Right dboss, hey I’m extremely glad his 3 point efficiency has improved and he’s hitting them at key moments. Obviously if he can improve his finishing and get to the line more, he will be a 25 ppg scorer.

Cow

Tatum has a legit shot at making the allstar team.  I think he is that good.  One of the things I have talked about quite a bit is getting your top guys more minutes and more scoring opportunities.  Last year there were really too many guys deserving of minutes and scoring opportunities.  In the end we had a watered down version of guys like Tatum, Brown and Hayward.

So far this year looks different.  I think we are going to have 4 guys averaging between 18-25 PPG.

JT is already at 22 PPG (rounded up) and given his FGA's I do not see his scoring average falling below 20 PG.  Those are allstar level numbers.

In many respects JT is just scratching the surface.  GH is averaging 18 PPG (rounded up) 7.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists.  he is also shooting 58% from deep.  He is really starting to cook on offense.   After a slow start Kemba looks like a scoring machine (25 PPG) but his production is not singular.

JB is averaging 17 PPG (rounded down) and he is shooting 50% on FG with 6.7 rebounds and 2 assists.  His defense has been stellar.  

So all 4 of our top guns are looking good and Marcus Smart compliments everyone of them.

What a difference a year makes.

More please.

Tatum is shooting 31.5% from 2.  He's shooting a smoking-hot 48% from 3, but that will cool off as the season goes on and he gets defended more out at the arc and as his legs tire a bit.  He needs to up his 2pt fg%.  His 2pt shooting last night was poor.  He attacked the rim but then leaned back on some of those floaters.  But yes, 21.5ppg are All-Star worthy numbers.

If you compare JT's /36mpg numbers to JB's /36mpg numbers, JB looks better.  JT is playing 36.3mpg, while JB is aveaging 28.7mpg.  JT's numbers should look better on the surface, he's playing a lot more of them.

Per 36mpg, to show efficiency per minute between players playing starter minutes against starting units
..................................fg%.........fga........3pt fg%........eFG%.......rebs........asts........TO.......blks........points
Jayson Tatum------------37.3-------20.6-----48.3----------45.8-------7.9--------2.0--------1.7----.5---------21.4
Jaylen Brown------------50.0-------16.7-----28.6----------55.0-------8.4--------2.5--------1.7-----1.3-------21.8


bob



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Bob I would bet that JT improves his overall FG percentage. That is an easy bet because JT has never been a 30's shooter