Eddie House: Tatum’s new-look shot is bad news for the rest of the NBA originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Part of what makes Jayson Tatum great is his ability to get better every season. And his latest improvement might just jump the All-NBA First Team forward into the MVP conversation.
Tatum made a slight adjustment to his shot this offseason, working with personal trainer Drew Hanlen on some mechanical aspects like his hand placement and release point. The early returns were strong, to say the least: Tatum made 8 of 11 3-pointers and 14 of 18 field goals in A 37-point performance against the New York Knicks on Opening Night, then dropped 25 points on 9 of 20 shooting (3 of 11 from 3-point range) in Thursday’s win over the Washington Wizards.
Tatum’s new-look shot caught the attention of former Celtics sharpshooter Eddie House after Thursday’s win.
“His shot looks a lot better,” House said on NBC Sports Boston Celtics Postgame Live. “It comes out of his hands a lot faster. He doesn’t have that dip that he used to have.
“I was like, ‘I don’t know what was wrong with his shot,’ because he was making shots. But now when I start watching it and seeing him take more and more shots, he doesn’t have that dip and he doesn’t bend as much .It’s fast, boom, and it’s much faster for him to take off.
“I mean, good luck to everyone else.”
Tatum is one of the most well-rounded players in the league and led the Celtics in points (25.0 per game), rebounds (9.7) and assists (6.3) during the 2024 playoffs to help Boston win Banner 18. But if there was one flaw in his game last postseason, it was his outside shot: He made just 28.3 percent of his 3-pointers over 19 games.
If Tatum continues to dominate the other aspects of the game and improve his 3-point shot? He could make an elite Celtics team even more dangerous while making a legitimate run at NBA MVP — an accolade he admits is still on his to-do list.
“I think just as a kid you set a lot of goals for yourself,” Tatum said after Thursday’s game. “I was lucky enough to check a lot of boxes of things that I wanted to accomplish, things that my favorite players. accomplished.
“Saying that MVP is important to me doesn’t take away from the success of our team in any way. Every guy that won MVP was on a championship contending team. If you’re MVP, you’re in control, you’re pushing, you’re playing the right way and you affect earnings So, you can do both.
“Championship is the most important, but being the best version of yourself on the road is also important.”
The Celtics return to action Saturday night in Detroit against the Pistons, with tip-off set for 7 pm ET and NBC Sports Boston’s coverage beginning at 6 pm with Celtics Pregame Live.
