Because the closing years of the Brad Stevens period, Jayson Tatum has been tasked with enhancing his capacity to create for others. The underlying concept is that with Tatum’s important scoring gravity, groups will usually assist off others to be able to ship double-teams towards the most effective scorers within the NBA.
For Tatum, the most effective counters he can have in his toolbox is with the ability to learn the double-team and make a play out of it, be it driving the hole between the 2 defenders, calling for a display screen, or, higher nonetheless, passing to the open man because the protection shifts over to compensate for the aggressive protection.
It hasn’t at all times been fairly. Heck, even now, Tatum is vulnerable to high-turnover video games, as he frequently offers with an unimaginable quantity of defensive consideration and is commonly scanning the courtroom, ready for the ‘proper play’ to look. But, with rising regularity, Tatum has begun to make some excellent passes when two defenders hone in on him, and on Tuesday, we obtained to witness a kind of passes carve open the Atlanta Hawks.
That is the play in query, a kind of moments the place you sit there and surprise, ‘how did he see that?’ Fairly frankly, most of us watching from dwelling most likely by no means caught Al Horford open within the robust aspect nook on the primary watch, and he definitely wasn’t unchecked in the beginning of the motion. So, what occurred?
As Tatum got here down the robust aspect baseline, Bogdan Bogdanovic helped off his man to double on Tatum. As this occurred, Horford’s man rotated to select up the open man on the perimeter, leaving Trae Younger (of all individuals) splitting the distinction between Horford and Derrick White, who was working within the dunker spot.
Virtually instantaneously, Tatum registers that Horford is open, and the inside track move is fired on time and on track. A simple three follows, and the Celtics register a bucket. Nonetheless, can we admire that this move seemed extremely tough from a birds eye view, so to have seen that unfold on the degree of play, and make that move with such ease, is a ridiculous leap in passing capacity from the most effective scorers within the NBA at current?
Moreover, this wasn’t the one cross-court move out of a double group that we noticed from Tatum in the course of the sport towards the Hawks. In truth, he had hit an identical, but much less spectacular one late within the third quarter, this time discovering Jaylen Brown.
This time, it was Bogdanovic that rotated over as he seemed to fill and put an extra physique on Robert Williams as he relocated to the weak aspect. In equity, Bogdanovic’s assist was solely momentary, however that was all Tatum wanted to identify the passing alternative and take benefit.
We regularly hear of the sport slowing down for gamers after a number of years within the league, and I’ve written about how that’s usually perceived as “processing velocity.” Name it no matter you need. The actual fact is, Tatum’s capacity to identify passes in visitors and get them to their vacation spot regardless of the group’s throwing measurement, size, and important stress at him on a nightly foundation, is a transparent indicator of his real enchancment as a facilitator.
Given the tough postseason run that doubtlessly awaits Tatum and the Celtics, realizing that he’s now greater than able to punishing defenses together with his passing abilities, no matter what groups throw at him, ought to give Joe Mazzulla the boldness to maintain empowering him to make selections with the ball in his palms — turnovers or not.
In fact, this isn’t a brand new improvement; Tatum has been enhancing this space of his sport for years at this level. Nonetheless, that dime to Horford was sensational given the diploma of problem, as was yet one more spotlight second within the All-Star’s younger profession.
