Brad Stevens ‘not shedding sleep’ over criticism of Tatum’s playoff stats initially appeared on NBC Sports activities Boston
Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum entered Tuesday averaging 21.2 factors per recreation this postseason, third on the roster by way of the primary six video games of their 2024 playoff marketing campaign. Some criticism of the five-time All-Star has been vocalized throughout social media, however nobody may very well be much less involved than Brad Stevens.
The Celtics’ president of basketball of operations joined NBC Sports activities Boston’s Celtics Pregame Reside and reiterated his confidence within the 26-year-old.
“There are loads of issues on this job that I lose sleep over — what somebody thinks about Jayson Tatum or Jayson Tatum taking part in effectively will not be one,” Stevens mentioned. “We’ll hold him, let’s put it that method.”
Shifting the main target away from scoring, Stevens identified how Tatum has contributed in different methods, most significantly to find methods to assist his teammates round him succeed.
“On the finish of the day, the perfect factor that you may be referred to as as a participant is somebody who makes the sport simpler for the opposite 4 guys which can be taking part in with you,” Stevens added. “If you happen to can convey out the perfect in these guys and be elite, that is fairly particular, and I do not assume you need to look far to see the numbers — each individually and collectively — that assist that.”
With an NBA-best plus/minus of +96 within the postseason, there isn’t any denying Tatum’s influence on successful. Whereas his scoring numbers have dropped from the common season by about six factors per recreation, the 2017 third general choice is main the workforce in each rebounds (10.5) and assists (5.3) per recreation this postseason.
“In six video games, which all people would say that is a small pattern,” Stevens responded to Brian Scalabrine when discussing the drop in scoring stats. “He is received a lot basis of assembly the second and being nice within the second, and I notice as a result of he is been within the second — and been within the largest moments — he’ll be nit-picked, and that is okay. That is a part of being a type of guys.”
Stevens went on to say that gamers are sometimes criticized based mostly off numbers on the stat sheet, somewhat than the general influence they’ve had on the sport. Tatum’s 25 % taking pictures from deep will be simple to name out on a stat sheet, however what will not be proven is how efficient of a distributor he is been, discovering the open man with ease whereas limiting turnovers.
“Our workforce has adopted the lead all yr of ‘we’re simply taking part in to win’ and that is all that issues,” Stevens added. “It is received to begin with [Tatum], it is received to begin with Jaylen [Brown]. It is received to begin with these guys as a result of these guys are appeared as much as in our locker room as a result of they’ve completed it on this stage.”
You possibly can watch Brad Stevens’ full interview from NBC Sports activities Boston’s Celtics Pregame Reside on YouTube under.
