Jayson Tatum’s 3-point taking pictures fell off a cliff towards the tip of the 2023-24 season. The three-time All-NBA First Workforce ahead took a complete of 175 3-point pictures between the beginning of April and the tip of the postseason in June. He averaged 28.7% throughout that time-frame.
At Media Day, the NBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist confirmed that he’s been working to repair his bounce shot.
“Been working with my coach Drew (Hanlen) rather a lot, lately in the previous few weeks,” Tatum stated. “Decide-up factors, hand placement, getting decrease, maintaining my shoulders ahead and issues like that…There have been some issues I may have fastened, however within the midst of the playoffs, making an attempt to handle you relaxation, it’s a little bit more durable. I used to be nonetheless taking part in effectively. I simply wasn’t taking pictures the ball in addition to I’d have favored. And clearly, we have been profitable. So it wasn’t the time or the place to attempt to make things better in that second.”
Tatum’s word about engaged on his shoulder positioning is attention-grabbing. Final season, Donte DiVincenzo was among the many breakout three-point shooters within the NBA. He had joined the New York Knicks after spending a yr with Steph Curry on the Golden State Warriors.
Throughout an interview with The Athletic’s Fred Katz, DiVincenzo, who shot 40.1% from deep for the season, credited a lesson he realized from watching Curry up shut throughout his time within the Bay Space.
“I used to assume toes squared, shoulders squared, launch and every thing needed to be aligned and every thing,” DiVincenzo stated. “And I get he’s virtually an anomaly. However what’s a lot completely different is so long as his shoulders are good, he doesn’t care about anything.”
Tatum is a profession 37.5% shooter from 3-point vary. He has had some large moments on the perimeter. For no matter purpose, his shot deserted him through the Celtics stretch run. Nonetheless, if he can decide up some nuggets of knowledge from Hanlen, he could possibly be able to have a bounce-back season by way of taking pictures the ball.
“General, I can nonetheless get higher,” Tatum stated in an interview with NBC Sports activities Boston. “You haven’t seen the most effective model of Jayson Tatum. And also you shouldn’t. I’m solely 26. I ought to proceed to maintain getting higher.”
It’s unlikely that Tatum has fully overhauled his taking pictures mechanics. As an alternative, he’s possible carried out refined tweaks to enhance his general taking pictures movement and power distribution. Nonetheless, if he’s specializing in his shoulder alignment and has been watching movie of his personal mechanics and others across the league, he could also be able to have a giant yr on the perimeter.
Nonetheless, it’s price remembering that Tatum is greater than only a shooter. He’s arguably some of the full gamers on the planet proper now. His being a dependable perimeter menace is vital, there’s little doubt about it, nevertheless it isn’t the one manner he can have an effect on a sport. Nonetheless, if he can convey himself nearer to being a 40% shooter, the Celtics are going to be extremely robust to beat within the coming years.
