“He’s not always forcing it, and that’s monumental for this team” - Jay Williams says Jayson Tatum’s performance in Game 1 of the NBA Finals showed his maturity and evolution as a player

The Boston Celtics have won Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals. Despite playing on their home court in San Francisco, the Golden State Warriors lost the series opener, as well as home court advantage.

Jayson Tatum, one of the best players in the series, had a poor shooting performance. However, he affected the game in different ways and helped his team win.

With a 1-0 series lead, the pressure is now on the Warriors to win the next game and tie the series.

Jayson Tatum's poor shooting game showed his other strengths

During the regular season, Jayson Tatum averaged 26.9 points per game, which was good enough for the seventh spot among qualified players. He led the Celtics in scoring and was their second-best rebounder as well.

Jayson Tatum set his career-high in assists with 13. [Image source: Getty Images]

In Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals, Tatum shot only 3-for-17 from the field. He scored 12 points, which was his third-lowest mark in the postseason. However, the 24-year-old forward showed his other strengths as he recorded 13 assists, his new career high.

Jay Williams, a former NBA player and current analyst, believes this game shows how much Tatum has matured. He spoke about it on ESPN's "Keyshawn, JWill and Max" show, where he praised Tatum's performance.

"For Jayson Tatum to have 13 assists in this ball game goes to show you his evolution as a player and how he's maturing in the game because he's not always forcing it, and that's monumental."

Williams was the second overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft and played a couple of years in the league. He knows how frustrating it is to miss so many shots, which is why so many players simply stop playing the game when the ball is not going in.

"If certain guys aren't getting touches, they're going to check out. They're going to check out of the game. They're not going to do the little things."

Tatum's performance was special

Jayson Tatum's 13 assists were the most by any player in their first NBA Finals appearance. This number is even more impressive when you look at his career averages as he's averaged only three assists per game so far.

John Stockton, the all-time leader in assists, had 12 assists in his NBA Finals debut, as well as Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas. The Celtics superstar is in fantastic company, and there is no doubt he could end his career among all-time greats, especially if he wins a championship.

Tatum knew he could affect the game in other ways, and he did exactly that. At the end of the 12-point victory against the Warriors, the forward had a +/- rating of +16.

Game 2 of the 2022 NBA Finals will be played on Sunday, June 5, at 8 PM EDT. This will be another home game for the Warriors before the series moves to Boston for Game 3 and 4.

What's next for Tatum?

We can expect Jayson Tatum to bounce back and have a great game. After all, he is known for having amazing games after poor shooting performances.

We can expect Tatum to bounce back and have a big game. [Image source: Getty Images]

The first time Tatum had a bad scoring game in the 2022 NBA playoffs was in the second round against the Milwaukee Bucks. The forward scored only 10 points on 4-for-19 shooting, but he bounced back with a 30-point game and a victory.

The second time, Tatum struggled against the Miami Heat. Once again, the 24-year old scored 10 points, this time on 3-for-14 shooting. However, he scored 31 points in the next game as the Celtics blew the Heat out by 20 points.