Jayson Tatum is ‘excited’ to be back for what could be an era-defining Boston Celtics season

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2019/10/jayson-tatum-is-excited-to-be-back-for-what-could-be-an-era-defining-boston-celtics-season-john-karalis.html



Jayson Tatum is ‘excited’ to be back for what could be an era-defining Boston Celtics season



John Karalis
Today 3:42 PM





CANTON, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 30: Jayson Tatum #0 poses for a photo during Celtics Media Day at High Output Studios on September 30, 2019 in Canton, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)




By John Karalis | JKaralis@masslive.com




BRIGHTON -- This might not be fair, but it’s also how things go in sports.

This season from Jayson Tatum could define this era in Boston Celtics history.

He is the highlight piece from the Brooklyn Nets trade. If he becomes a superstar-level player, there’s no revisionist history that calls the deal a dud.

He’s the centerpiece of this new era. With Kyrie Irving and Al Horford gone, and no Anthony Davis trade, Danny Ainge has to hang his hat on the team’s youth acquired in that trade. If Tatum becomes a star, then Ainge’s two-path plan is justified.


He’s the potential star around which a winning team is being built. If Tatum hits that ceiling, the Celtics have strong chance at raising their 18th championship banner sooner rather than later.

Tatum is either at the middle of this team’s rise to the top, or the Celtics will have to readjust, again. The phrase “championship drought” isn’t something anyone on Causeway street wants thrown around.

So, no pressure.

“I’ve never really been one affected by outside noise, no matter how good people tell me or doing or how bad people tell me I’m doing,” Tatum said at media day. “I never get too high or too low. I just try to focus on the task at hand and enjoy it.”

The task at hand began on Tuesday at the Auerbach Center in Brighton.

“I’m more excited to be back playing,” Tatum said after the team’s morning session. “I haven’t played in a while, being out with the ankle (injury suffered in the FIBA World Cup), so I’m just happy to be back on the court playing basketball.”

With Tatum back and fully healthy, he can begin the process of finding his offense. After a season of often questionable shot selection, Tatum sounded like he was fully on board with the more modern NBA style of scoring.


“Focus on getting to the basket much more,” he said. “Shoot more 3’s. 3’s and layups. And free throws. If you want to be a great scorer in this league, you have to get to the line. Free throws is super important. Getting to the basket and that opens up the rest of the game. 3’s are worth more than 2’s.”

The path to being a 20 points per game scorer isn’t tough for Tatum if he follows his own advice. He averaged 15.7 points on 13 shot attempts and 2.9 free throw attempts per game last season. If he can take three more free throws and hit them at an 85 percent clip, he’ll score 2.5 more points just from the line. If he can hit one more 3 per game than last season, he’ll add 5.5 points and average 21.2 points per game.

It seems easy, but Tatum needs to make those big adjustments he was talking about. Brad Stevens says that can come a lot easier if Tatum cuts down on the isolation ball and works within the flow of the offense.

“Everybody benefits from good ball movement and precise ball movement and high-motor offense, because when you catch it you have a little more of a step on your defender,” Stevens said. “You don’t have to work quite as hard in an isolated moment. So I think we all benefit from that. I thought Jayson was very good today, just like I expect.”

That’s about all you’ll hear about expectations from anyone here. At least not publicly. Tatum said he’s keeping those to himself.


Whatever the expectation is, the possibilities for Tatum seem high. On Tuesday he took both the next step in his career, but also, maybe, the first of many big steps forward.

“I’m more excited,” he said when asked if he was nervous at all about this season. “I know we said it a lot yesterday, talking about a fresh start, that’s really what it feels like. It feels good to be back, back in the gym and getting ready.”


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