Jayson Tatum has had a crazy year. He faced criticism from the media and NBA fans, but he helped the Boston Celtics return to the promised land of the NBA. Despite having a lot of shooting problems during the playoffs, Boston still managed to win championship number 18. For Jayson Tatum however, it didn't end there. The five-time All-Star made the Olympic team, but struggled to get any meaningful playing time throughout the tournament.
Some NBA peers argued that Tatum wasn't worth the time while others questioned why the latest superstar was being benched. Rumors began to circulate about the Olympic team and Golden State Warriors head coach, Steve Kerr, showing favoritism and benching the star forward as an aggressive move. Still, the one consistent aspect from the playoffs was the inconsistency of Tatum's shooting. It didn't happen, however, as Jayson Tatum is reportedly working hard to fix the mechanical problems that were changing his jumper this past year.
Boston Celtics Superstar, Jayson Tatum, Works On Mechanical Issues With Jumper
Jayson Tatum's Shooting Struggles Last Season and During the Olympics
This offseason, Jayson Tatum has been working hard with longtime talent coach, Drew Hanlen. Hanlen has also worked with other NBA stars such as Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Tyrese Haliburton. After working with Jayson Tatum this summer, Hanlen had some bold words to say about the upcoming campaign.
“I think a lot of people are like, 'Oh, he's out for revenge,'” Hanlen told ESPN. “I don't think Jayson sees it that way. He's like, 'Compare my CV at 27 to Michael Jordan, who never won one at 27. Compare that to LeBron, who won one. Compare that to Steph, who had it.”
Actually, that's fine. However, it is important to remember that those legends were in completely different situations at that time of their career. Tatum had one of the best programs ever built and in good shape for himself. Still, one cannot take away the fact that he is still a champion. However, his shooting will need to improve significantly if they want to repeat. For context, Jayson Tatum shot 28.3 percent from three-point range during the 2024 season. During the Olympics, the Celtics forward had a field goal percentage of 38.1 percent with no three-point shots. Remember that he got little playing time during the Olympics. All in all, Celtic should be happy to see their star player working on a part of his game that will be imperative to their success going forward.
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