The "eye test" was telling me that something is awry with Jayson Tatum's game through eight contests this season, and the stats reveal at least part of the issue.
His field goal percentage is at a miserable 38.3% - not good for a guy with a career 45.4 % average. Ditto with his 3-point accuracy - this season shows 26.2 % of his treys hit pay dirt, down from a career 39.1 %. And no good news of the foul shooting. His freebies are landing 75 % of the time, as opposed to a career 83.7 %.
And may I add that his assists are down from 4.3 APG last season to 3.6 APG this year. But on the other hand, he is really letting the ball fly in 2021, launching 23.5 field goal attempts per game - compared to a career 15.5 per game. On 3-pointers, he is throwing up 8.1 3s per game, compared to 5.3 for his career.
Here's a quick look at three former Celtics "gunners". Kevin McHale, called "The Black Hole" by his buddy, Danny Ainge, threw up 12.7 field goal tries per game in his career. Ainge? Only 9.5 FGAs/game. "Tommy Gun"? A whopping 18.0 field goal attempts per contest. The moniker fits.
But Jayson is on pace to out-shoot (not talking accuracy here) them all at 23.5 attempts/game. This kid is one of the top talents ever to take to the Boston parquet floor, and he has plenty of time to get his ship in order. Tonight's game versus the Miami Heat might be a good start.
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