There is plenty of discourse about who deserves to win NBA Finals MVP and who is better between Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
But the reality is that for the Celtics to reach the top of the mountain and win a championship, they need everyone playing their best basketball. While they all have different skill sets, for Tatum, that means unlocking his playmaking as a connective wing as often as possible.
Tatum knows this, too, and he has already suggested as much.
Jayson Tatum reflects on primarily being a playmaker during these Finals:
“We’re so close to to what we’re trying to accomplish — why would I let my ego or need to score a lot of points get in the way of that?” pic.twitter.com/8Al9zCKTXz
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzellNBA) June 10, 2024
Tatum spoke to reporters after the game and acknowledged how his passing has put his team in a very good place to win these games:
“We’re so close to what we’re trying to accomplish. Why would I let my ego or my need to score all of the points get in the way of that?”
Tatum finished Game 2 against the Mavericks with 12 assists, which was just one shy of the most he has ever recorded during the postseason. So many of the best moments of the victory were distributed by Tatum.
He currently leads the NBA Finals in potential assists (27) by a fairly wide margin. That is elite and has put him in a great position to win his first title.
Jrue Holiday, who has gotten a ton of open looks because Dallas has applied so much pressure to Tatum, spoke about how his teammate helped him score more:
“Honestly, I think I just got the opportunity. I would say a lot of it was JT. JT was attacking the basket, they were doubleteaming him, and he was making the right play… the way that he played tonight, the way that he led us, getting to the paint… it was all about him”
One reason why Tatum has gotten so much out of his passing is because he has so many great teammates, like Holiday, who are able to hit their shots. But what exactly does this mean for Boston moving forward?
During his career, the Celtics are 14-4 (.777) in the playoffs when Tatum has notched at least eight assists. They are 25-11 (.694) during postseason games in which he has recorded six or more dimes.
Compare that to how Boston has played when Tatum has had a hot scoring night in the postseason. When he has scored at least 24 points, the Celtics are 37-21 (.637) during his career.
However, his team is actually closer to the middle of the pack at 41-33 (.554) when Tatum has finished with five or fewer assists in the playoffs. They have had similar success, going 29-23 (.557) in which Tatum has had less than 24 points in the playoffs.
Expected or not, this suggests that Tatum’s playmaking is historically about as important to Boston’s postseason success as his scoring.
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