The Eastern Conference semi-final journey began with a comfortable 120-95 victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Boston Celics [per NBA.com]. However, even amidst the joyous times, the Game 1 performance of franchise talisman Jayson Tatum served as a source of concern. Unsurprisingly, Skip Bayless wasted no time in calling this out, raising questions surrounding the capability of the 26-year-old.
Tatum visibly struggled to get his shots to fall throughout the game. As per StatMuse, the Missouri-born went just 7-19 from the field, even failing to score a single one of his five three-point attempts. However, he also registered a double-double of 18 points, and 11 rebounds, somewhat defending his pride in front of the home crowd.
Amidst Jayson’s struggles, the roster’s number two, Jaylen Brown stepped up to the occasion. The 27-year-old caused headaches for the opposition with his offensive prowess in Game 1. In just 34 minutes, the 3x All-Star scored an impressive 32 points, as per StatMuse, while also registering a stellar 4-6 from the deep.
This led to Bayless openly questioning the Celtics’ team dynamics. Shedding light on the recent performances, he expressed that Brown had been the franchise’s talisman over Tatum. The 72-year-old outlined his viewpoint on X (formerly Twitter), declaring, “Who ultimately is the Celtics’ Go-to Guy? Tonight it was Jaylen. I lean Jaylen. But most ppl think it’s Jayson … who was 7-19 tonight and 0-5 from 3”.
As harsh as it may sound, Bayless’ statement portrays a key part of the picture. During the 2022 NBA Finals, a deeply similar storyline rang throughout the series, resulting in Brown outscoring Tatum back then. The same phenomenon took place once again, this time against the Miami Heat in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, a series the Celtics eventually lost.
That said, the Celtics forward has recently developed immensely in this part of the game, learning to impact the contest in ways apart from just scoring, such as his defense, rebounding, and passing. And of course, when his shot is falling, he is arguably the best player in the NBA.
So, there remains no real doubt over Tatum’s capability to become the difference maker for his side. But his consistency must improve to establish himself as the prime ‘go-to guy’ for the Celtics.
With incremental growth being a major part of his development, fans will hope for betterment in this aspect of his game soon.
