Boston Celtics: Jayson Tatum should be in the 3-Point Contest
Boston Celtics rookie Jayson Tatum is having a great debut season. One thing he’s shown he can do well is his 3-point shooting. He should be rewarded by competing in the 3-Point Contest.
Jayson Tatum is shooting the ball lights out from 3 this season. He currently leads the league in 3-point percentage, with a ridiculous 45.7 percent. He does so while attempting just 3.0 attempts per game, but his percentage is still amazing.
One thing he should be doing is shooting the ball from 3 a lot more. Things have been rolling for the Boston Celtics, as they hold the best record in the Eastern Conference (34-12). They have lost two in a row, but beyond this recent skid, the rest of the season has been fairly smooth despite injuries.
Despite having great team success and 3-point success, Tatum should attempt to shoot the 3-ball a little more. For the amount of success as he’s had from beyond the arc, it can’t hurt… can it?
Coming out of Duke, Tatum was able to hit the 3, but not like he has been able to do in the NBA. I for one was not expecting this big of a leap from the 19-year-old. It could be some of the rookie season adrenaline that is pumping him up, but whatever it is, it’s working. In college he attempted 4.0 attempts from 3, and cashed in on 1.4 of those. His shooting percentage was 34.2 percent, which is a good-to-average number.
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What makes that stat crazier is that the 3-point line is farther back from what it is in college. He averaged the same number of made 3s (1.4 per game) between college and the pros. The only difference is that he’s averaging one attempt less in the NBA.
Because Tatum is having great success in the NBA from beyond the arc; he should be rewarded by competing in the 3-Point Contest. All-Star Weekend is full of the NBA’s greatest talent and players, and it would go a long way for Tatum. For one, receiving the opportunity to go to All-Star weekend and compete in one of the main events would be a huge confidence booster.
He’s already going to be there for the Rising Stars Challenge, but it’s not as meaningful because any rookie and sophomore who’s halfway decent has a good chance of making the game. The 3-Point Contest is something only a select few get to participate in.
The other way is that this will give him the opportunity to get a small taste of what things might be in the future. By the looks of things, he’ll probably be returning to All-Star weekend in the future. But, what better way than getting him to compete against some of the NBA’s elite competition?
This would be cool to see a rookie compete against some of the best shooters in the game. In the past we’ve seen players in the contest such as Eric Gordon, Devin Booker, Stephen Curry, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson and many more.
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This would allow him to get a taste of what’s to come in his future, it would boost his confidence, and it’s the correct reward for the amount of success he’s had in the NBA shooting the 3. Jayson Tatum deserves to be in the 3-Point Contest.