Jayson Tatum, trainer Drew Hanlen plan to work on getting to the line more in 2021-22

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/jayson-tatum-trainer-drew-hanlen-190132324.html



Jayson Tatum, trainer Drew Hanlen plan to work on getting to the line more in 2021-22



Justin Quinn

Sat, July 3, 2021, 12:01 PM



Expect to see a lot more of Boston Celtics All-Star wing Jayson Tatum at the free throw line in the coming 2021-22 season. With it evident at this stage of his career that the St. Louis native is nearly unstoppable when he takes it to the cup, opponents often find themselves fouling Tatum in order to stop his seemingly endless arms from getting the biscuit into the basket.

Working with longtime trainer Drew Hanlen, the Duke product is focusing on attacking the basket this offseason with an eye to expanding Tatum’s comfort with perhaps his most lethal means of putting points on the board according to the Boston Herald’s Mark Murphy.

“The big thing for me is that he has to be able to initiate contact instead of letting the defender get to him first,” related Hanlen to the Herald.


"He has to be able to act before the defender gets to him, because if the defender gets to him, he can bump him off of his line," he added. "But if Jayson gets into the defender and starts veering, and they impede his balance or his angle, that dictates the foul."

"No. 1 is getting downhill. You’ve seen him grow during the season in that category, but getting downhill will be No. 1, and being able to finish when you do get downhill ... The second thing — last year he started to see different schemes and coverages thrown at him, so being able to prepare for some of those next-level things so he can become a playmaker when teams try to squeeze the ball out of his hands."

"The (primary) thing is just giving him things to do while he’s away on his own with USA Basketball, so he can prepare for next season as a Celtic," explained Hanlen.

"USA is going over there to win a gold medal and represent the U.S., but we don’t want to lose five, six weeks of our offseason training," offered Tatum's trainer. "Just so we can develop a little routine for him to work on things for next year, when he’s in a Celtics journey."

Known to be something of a sponge when it comes to learning new skills, the Missourian forward will have some exceptionally talented teammates on Team USA to work with.

"One thing Jayson really enjoyed when he was with USA Basketball the last time was being able to compete against all the guys in practice," suggested Hanlen, "and play one-on-one against the guys to push himself, scrimmage with the guys, and being able to pick the brains of some of the best basketball players in the world."


Bob
MY NOTE:  This is all very fine and good, and failure to improve on different aspects of your game every year puts you in a difficult position (see Simmons, Ben), but what is hard for Tatum and Hanlen to work on is his court vision and floor generalship.  That's because, to do that, you need to work on your passing in a 5-man setting with the playbook of the coach you are playing for and Hanlen doesn't have that.


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https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2021/07/gregg-popovich-believes-jayson-tatum-is-more-of-a-two-way-player-since-first-joining-team-usa-he-knows-he-can-dominate-people.html



Gregg Popovich believes Jayson Tatum is more of a two-way player since first joining Team USA: ‘He knows he can dominate people’



Updated Jul 06, 2021; Posted Jul 06, 2021




MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 19: Gregg Popovich the Head Coach of the USA National Team speaks to Jayson Tatum during the United States of America Team USA National basketball team training session at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre on August 19, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)Getty Images



By Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com



Jayson Tatum will be the first active Celtic to be a member of the Team USA basketball team in the Olympics later this month in Tokyo since Larry Bird in 1992.

Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich has been with Tatum during every part of his journey with Team USA, coaching him last in the summer of 2019 during the FIBA World Cup. Two years later, Tatum was a no-brainer selection for the 12-man Team USA Olympics roster this summer and Popovich believes Tatum’s development over the past 24 months is a big reason why.


“During that (2019) camp and from that time to now, under Brad’s tutelage, he’s become more of a two-way player,” Popovich said after Team USA’s first practice on Tuesday. “He’s way more confident, he’s developed more skills, he’s, on top of that, more aggressive and he knows he can dominate people. He’s much different going into this situation than before.”

Tatum was one of the bright spots for Team USA during the 2019 World Cup but an ankle injury sidelined him for key matchups late in the tournament during the medal rounds. The Americans eventually finished in 7th place with Tatum watching from the sidelines and Popovich pointed out on Tuesday just how big of an impact that injury had on the team’s chances.

“We were hugely disappointed when he got hurt (in the World Cup), let me put it that way,” Popovich said. “He was going to be our go-to guy and he was just finding his legs, so to speak. Not totally confident, not realizing maybe how good he could be at both ends of the floor.”

Popovich and his coaching staff have made team defense a big point of emphasis with Tatum during his time with Team USA and that’s mostly because of the upside the veteran coach sees in his natural talent.


“Let’s just say that Jayson’s probably surprised at the attention I gave him defensively,” Popovich said last year. “There aren’t that many two-way players in the league -- genuine. Some think they are, but you can count them on one hand. And he’s got the possibility to be one of those.”

With three (Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, Devin Booker) of Team USA’s 12 Olympic roster players missing training camp due to taking part in the NBA Finals this month, Tatum will have ample opportunity to show off his improved game in an international setting with a strong supporting cast around him.

“I get a chance to play in the Olympics and compete for a gold medal,” Tatum said in a Team USA video. “I’m looking forward to it. I’m excited to be playing with a new group of guys. It all starts here.”


Tatum and Team USA will take part in training camp in Las Vegas through July 18 with five exhibition games lined up against Nigeria, Australia, Spain and Argentina. From there, it’s onto Japan for the games themselves as Tatum looks for redemption after injuries kept him and Team USA out of the final medal round in 2019.


Bob



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