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Jayson Tatum is one of the finest players in the NBA. The St. Louis native has been named to the All-NBA First-Team for two consecutive seasons. However, Tatum's production for the Boston Celtics has yet to translate into an NBA championship.
Of course, the Celtics falling short isn't all on Tatum. There are 15 players on an NBA roster, and all of them must play their part if the team is to be successful. However, as the best player on the roster, Tatum carries a certain amount of expectations on his shoulders.
At 25 years old, Tatum can improve his game and is two to three years away from entering his prime. As the new NBA season approaches, here are four things Tatum could improve to round out his overall skillset.
#1 Shooting off the dribble
Jayson Tatum is an elite scorer. The Boston Celtics star is known for his fluid offense and three-level scoring ability. Tatum can use his long, athletic frame to punish defenders around the rim. Cook you with step-backs. Or drain a dagger three in your face.
However, Tatum's one glaring offensive weakness is his pull-up shooting. However, the four-time All-Star is an efficient perimeter shooter when letting shots fly off the catch.
During the 2022-23 regular season, NBA stats tracked Tatum's off-the-catch numbers and they looked like this.
- 4.6 field goal attempts per game
- Converted 41.1% from the field
- 4.2 of those attempts came from deep
- He converted those perimeter shots at a 40.5% success rate.
Yet, when looking to score via dribble pull-ups, Tatum's efficiency fell off a cliff.
- 6.9 pull-up attempts per game
- Converted 30.2% from the field
- 4.8 of those attempts came from deep
- He converted those perimeter shots at a 29.1% success rate.
For a player who is tasked with generating his own offense, Tatum's self-created scoring needs work, especially if he wants to be firmly in the MVP discussion.
#2 Increasing his elbow offense
Tatum's jump shot and shooting mechanics are tailor-made for the mid-range. During the early years of his career, Tatum fell into the trap of taking contested long mid-range jumpers, leading to some severe criticism. However, the issue was never with the shots coming from the mid-range, but rather, the way those shots occurred.
In truth, Tatum can be a serious weapon in elbow actions if he embraces his mid-range game. Last season, the 6-foot-8 forward averaged 2.5 elbow touches per game, taking 1.3 shots and converting them at a 63.6% clip.
Putting Tatum on the elbow in horns sets or Iverson actions will allow the star forward to attack a defense as they adjust to what's going on around them. His size and strength will ensure creation of separation or drive to the rim and could improve his overall offensive versatility for the Celtics.
Of course, Tatum could also use his scoring gravity to create openings for others and then create offense out of the post via his playmaking.
#3 Screening
In recent seasons, we've seen Tatum be utilized as a screener for the Celtics. The idea is that by having Tatum set the initial screen, Boston's ball-handler can thrive on the All-Star's gravity. Nine times out of 10, the defense is going to follow Tatum, regardless of whether he rolls to the rim or pops out to the perimeter.
By adding more nuance to his screening game, such as flipping the angle, setting re-screens, slipping before the contact, or running more variations such as "rip" or "wedge," Tatum can create havoc for an opposing defense.
If Tatum can improve his on and off-ball screening, he will generate multiple new layers to the Celtics offense while also finding himself scoring some easy buckets as he catches the defense off-guard during rotations.
#4 Consistency
This one has been Tatum's biggest Achilles heel. One night, Tatum can go for 50; the next, he struggles to put 12 points on the board. Tatum needs to find ways to add consistency to his game. Sure, when you're the focal point of the offense, things get harder.
Defenses have you scouted. They pay extra attention to you. You very rarely see single-man coverage in half-court situations. Tatum has to find ways to generate a consistent flow of offense, regardless of whether he's "got it" from deep or his jump shot is falling.
An easy argument is that Tatum should attack the rim more. However, Cleaning The Glass last season tracked 33% of Tatum's offense as coming within four feet of the basket. It's not about the location of his shots. Instead, it's about the quality. Limit attempts off the dribble unless it's to attack a close-out.
Find ways to get to your spots. Most importantly, trust others to create high-quality looks for you.
If Tatum can add a layer of consistency to his offensive game, he's going to take a major jump in impact and production next season.
