In the clutch, the Celtics need more options than just throw the ball to Jayson Tatum - Gary Washburn/Boston Globe

In the clutch, the Celtics need more options than just throw the ball to Jayson Tatum
By Gary Washburn Globe Staff,Updated January 20, 2024, 6:23 p.m.


HOUSTON — There’s a reason why Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens acquired Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis in the offseason, to help spark the team’s sagging offense late in games and to become less predictable down the stretch with an increase in options.

Yet when the game is on the line, the ball is always in Jayson Tatum’s hands, and sometimes that’s to the detriment of himself and the team, because he is trying to do too much with these Kobe Bryant-like, difficulty shots to win games at the buzzer.

Such was the case again Friday against the Denver Nuggets, when Tatum attempted a stepback against the staunch defense of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the potential tying shot hit the backboard in a painful 102-100 loss.

Tatum is unquestionably the Celtics’ best offensive player, and he should be the primary option down the stretch. But he doesn’t have to take every game-winning or clutch shot, especially when he’s struggling in that category.

Tatum is shooting 33.3 percent in clutch situations, with the game within 5 points in the last five minutes, and he’s 1 for 7 this season when the game is within 3 points in the final 30 seconds. Buzzer-beaters are near impossible shots, especially when the opposing team has a set defense and knows Tatum is going to get the ball.

It’s time for Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla to mix up the late-game offense and give players such as Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Porzingis a chance to win games with last-second shots. And such a strategy will also open up offense for Tatum as other players develop as threats.

But Tatum pounding the ball James Harden style with the world knowing he’s going to take a difficult stepback jumper to win the game has to stop. The Celtics were behind 2 points on Friday, so Tatum could have attacked the rim and gotten fouled or drawn another defender and passed it to an open teammate.

Tatum trusts his teammates, but he also places so much pressure on himself to be the unquestioned offensive catalyst that it makes the Celtics offense too predictable. He watches those Kobe videos, or Michael Jordan soaring high in the air, lofting game-winning jump shots over helpless defenders, clips that have made him immortal.

Tatum wants to be immortal, too. But this new NBA is different. In those Jordan days, teams didn’t blitz as much, they relied on one-on-one defense and nobody could single-handedly guard Jordan.

And not many defenders in the NBA can single-handedly guard Tatum, but when he makes it clear he’s sizing up the defender for a stepback jumper, he’s easier to defend and the shot becomes more difficult.

“I think I kind of rushed it, and that’s on me,” Tatum said of his final shot. “In the back of my mind, I wasn’t sure if they were going to foul; they had a foul to give. I had more time than I gave myself. I should have taken some more time. But I can’t go back, but it’s something I can work on.”

What the Celtics can work on as a whole is better late-game execution and being more versatile in the final minutes. As a team the Celtics are 13-8 this season in clutch situations — last five minutes and the game within 5 points — but in situations where the game is within 3 points in the final 10 seconds, they are 1-for-11 shooting.

Hitting clutch shots is a difficult endeavor. But simply throwing the ball to Tatum and expecting him to make magic is unfair to him and the team. He’s capable of such greatness, but perhaps Tatum setting a screen for Brown or perhaps inbounding the ball and getting it back and attacking the rim are ways the Celtics can be better in these tight games.

Boston still has the best record in the NBA. The Celtics have done a lot of impressive things this season. Their offense is among the best in the league, and the additions of Porzingis and Holiday, and the improvement of White, have made the Celtics an imposing team.

But as the competition increases, the opposing coaching improves and the Celtics show more offensive trends, scoring will become more difficult, especially in the final minute.

“We got the ball to JT and we live or die,” Porzingis said. “We trust him. [Friday] it didn’t go our way but I think we did the right thing and that’s all we can ask for.”

Now it’s up to Mazzulla and the coaching staff to diversify the offense in the final five minutes. The Celtics want to be good at winning close games because the playoffs will be filled with nail-biters where it comes down to execution on one final possession or in the final three minutes. Lack of execution in the final five minutes cost the Celtics a chance at a title two years ago, and they swore they learned from that experience.

Friday night was reminiscent of that playoff run, where the Celtics sputtered in crunch time. This team doesn’t have many flaws, but late-game execution could be one of those weaknesses. Tatum trying to score against the opposing team’s best defender as the clock ticks down and the remaining eight players watch is not a recipe for consistent success.

The Celtics need more options than that.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/01/20/sports/clutch-celtics-need-more-options-than-just-throw-ball-jayson-tatum/