The Boston Celtics were in dire need of a win Sunday afternoon against the Washington Wizards following another week of uneven results and Tatum made sure they won.
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The Boston Celtics were eager for a win against the Washington Wizards on Sunday afternoon following another week of conflicting results. Jayson Tatum made it his personal goal to ensure the mission’s success. With a 116-87 victory over the Wizards, Tatum scored a season-high 51 points to help the Celtics (24-24) go back to .500. This was a satisfying victory, especially after squandering a fourth-quarter lead in a 109-105 defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers the night before.
The good news is that Boston climbed into eighth place in the Eastern Conference after a 2-2 week, 6.5 games behind first place. The bad news is that the Celtics are extremely inconsistent since both of their losses should have been won.
Boston still needs a reliable third scorer and improved shooting, but Sunday’s win was a breath of fresh air, with Tatum finally breaking out of his shooting tumble.
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Tatum was in the midst of a chilly snap heading into Sunday’s game. He’d gone 0-17 from three-point range in his previous three games, and 3-29 in his previous five.
Against the Wizards, Tatum awoke in spectacular form. He made his first three long-range shots and finished with nine total (in 14 attempts). Tatum went 18-28 from the field in only 33 minutes of action to reach the 50-point milestone. It was also Tatum’s second game in a row with 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Games like this serve as a reminder to fans why Tatum is one of the game’s brightest young stars. Perhaps the club can put together a run if he can rediscover consistency in his shooting stroke — and find games where he gets lengthy rest due to massive Boston leads.
A third-scorer who can regularly put up 16-18 points every game is also required. Tatum and Jaylen Brown accomplish so much that they require assistance.
Internally, there are several alternatives. For presently, it appears like no one wants to do it game by game. Dennis Schroder can go on a tear — a recent three-game run saw him average 21 points per game — but he also has a habit of vanishing for two or three games at a stretch.
Marcus Smart is competent but gets into problems if he throws up too many shots. Robert Williams needs more touches to be a 14-16 point per game player, and Robert Williams needs more touches to be a 14-16 point per game player.
If a trade fails to bring in a player with a strong offensive presence, one or more of these guys will have to step up. As the season goes, removing the pressure from Tatum and Brown will be critical.
