As the Celtics wrapped up shootaround at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon, Jayson Tatum sat at the scorers’ table, dancing with the speaker beside him.
Sam Cassell came running over, put his arm around Tatum, and joined the fun.
Despite Tatum’s recent shooting slump, he remains unfazed.
Through seven games this postseason, his scoring average stands at 21.7, his lowest in half a decade, while his shooting percentages plummeted to 40.7% from the field and 26.8% from beyond the arc – both postseason lows.
The narrative surrounding Tatum’s struggles has dominated Celtics discourse, yet as Game 3 looms, neither he nor the team harbored concerns.
“[He’s] finding other ways to be impactful,” Jaylen Brown said.
“I think over the course of the playoffs, over the course of all of that stuff, it’ll even itself out. Focus on the game. Each game has a different story, and just stay locked in on that, and I think he will be fine. Jayson is one of the best players in the world. So, it’s a part of that. Teams draw coverages to make you get uncomfortable; just take it for what it is, and you make the right play.”
Credit to Max Strus and the Cavaliers. They are doing a great job defending Tatum. However, everybody knows what Tatum can do, and that big night is coming.
“I obviously wish I had made more shots. I’ve been in the league long enough that sometimes you just don’t make them,” Tatum said after Game 2. “You just have to continue to take the right shots, and it’ll even out. I don’t really get caught up on that. I know how to score the ball.”
Water will find its level. Tatum will get it going, and a prime-time slot on Saturday night would be the perfect occasion for his scoring resurgence.
A clear focus ahead of Game 3
For years, Marcus Smart publicly held the Celtics accountable through the media when necessary. With Smart’s departure, Jaylen Brown has stepped into that role.
Following Boston’s Game 2 loss to Cleveland, Brown described the performance as “unacceptable,” particularly on the defensive end.
“This was an unacceptable performance,” Brown said. “We need to be ready to respond.”
When addressing the media after shootaround, it’s evident that Brown is calling for a mindset shift from his teammates.
“Gotta be more aggressive, more ball pressure, and just overall more effort,” Brown said. “It was a little bit laxed. We could be a lot better.”
Effort issues have been uncharacteristic for the Celtics. However, following their loss to the Heat in Game 2 of the last series, the theme was raising the effort levels, which is a similar focus this time around.
“We’ve gotta establish what we want,” Brown added. “We gotta come out and be the harder playing team.”
Boston’s effort needs to start on the defensive end. When their defense performs well, so does their offense. It’s telling that the only games the Celtics allowed more than 100 points were the two they lost. Additionally, Boston recorded its lowest point totals in each of those games.
“I think we’ve just got to bring up the intensity,” Holiday added. “More attention to detail, especially how guys like to drive and get to the basket and plays they like to make. Just lock in a little more.”
Jrue Holiday weighs in on Charles Lee’s departure
Earlier this week, it was announced that Joe Mazzulla’s lead assistant, Charles Lee, will be the Charlotte Hornets’ next head coach after the Celtics’ postseason run.
Lee, 39, joined Mazzulla’s staff in June after serving as Mike Budenholzer’s right-hand man since 2018, winning a championship with the Bucks in 2021, where he coached Jrue Holiday.
In Boston, Lee has served as Holiday’s primary coach. Between their time in Milwaukee and Boston, the two have formed a close bond, with Lee often spending time with Holiday’s family before games at TD Garden.
Holiday discussed Lee's departure on Saturday, expressing excitement for his friend.
“I was really happy. Sad to see him go, but extremely happy. He deserves it. I’ve been with him for a minute now, so to see him as a head coach and to beat him every time that we play him is going to be great,” Holiday joked.
Lee, who is highly competitive during drills, interviewed for multiple head coaching vacancies, including those with the Pistons, Raptors, Suns, and Bucks. Now, he gets his chance with a young Charlotte team likely eying a top-five pick in the NBA Draft in June and boasting promising young talent such as LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, and Mark Williams.
“I just hugged him, told him I loved him, and how happy I was for him because, obviously, we’ve been through a lot together,” Holiday added. “So, to see even before when there was kind of a chance for him to be a head coach and him not get it, but to see it now, I think the timing might be right. You’re just happy for your guys, you know.”
Lee is regarded as one of the league’s most respected assistants. Over his 10 NBA seasons, Lee’s squads have compiled an impressive record of 510-291 (.637) in the regular season, making the playoffs nine times, winning seven division titles, and securing five Eastern Conference number-one seeds. Lee played a pivotal role in Boston’s second-ranked defense.
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