Jayson Tatum’s playmaking remains crucially inconsistent for the Celtics

When the Boston Celtics made decisive moves prior to the NBA trade deadline, they tried to focus on two key aspects of their team identity – an obvious prioritization of the defensive end of the floor, and greater trust in Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart as lead ball-handlers.

That first aspect, the defense, is the primary component behind their rise from below .500 to the NBA Finals. But it also wouldn’t have been possible without the willingness of those three to become better playmakers, particularly Tatum and Brown, as they evolve into more than just scorers on the offensive end.

With the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors sitting tied at 1-1, the NBA Finals may rest on Tatum’s ability to remain effective and efficient as a playmaker over the remainder of the series.

Jayson Tatum’s playmaking remains crucially inconsistent for the Celtics

Tatum’s growth was on full display in Game 1. He may have gone just 3-for-17 from the floor, but he produced a career-high 13 assists, as the Celtics manufactured a stunning fourth-quarter turnaround.

The Celtics superstar often met double teams and traps with well-executed passes to open teammates – 38 of Boston’s 41 three-point attempts were considered ‘open’ or ‘wide open’ (closest defender at least four feet away). They connected on 21 of their 41 attempts, including  9-for-12 during the dominant last period.

The Warriors responded in Game 2, though, increasing their activity and aggression in all aspects of their defensive movement. Their active hands stripped Tatum a couple of times on the drive, while they also made quicker rotations and got into passing lanes. Tatum had four turnovers and three assists, with the Warriors’ 33 points off 18 Celtics turnovers proving to be the difference in the game.

Tatum’s inconsistent playmaking and ball security aren’t just confined to the NBA Finals though. Boston is now 5-4 since the start of the Conference Finals. In those five wins, Tatum is averaging three turnovers and 7.6 assists per game. In the four losses, he’s averaging six turnovers and 4.25 assists.

Those statistics prove the value of his playmaking. If he has more assists than turnovers, then that practically leads to a Boston win. The component seems to come and go, though, as it’s still not a natural aspect of his game. Nor should it necessarily be. He’s not a point guard and he’ll always be a scorer first and foremost.

When the playmaking confidence isn’t there, then he, and by extension, the Celtics, revert back to the one-on-one individual style that proved futile early in the season. The Warriors, a quality defensive team themselves, want Tatum and others to take tough jump shots or contested shots at the rim. It’s an aspect Al Horford (and his sister) alluded to as the Celtics’ offense stagnated after their eruption in Game 1.

Everyone acknowledges that Tatum is Boston’s best player and that the NBA championship may subsequently swing on his performances. But most would identify his scoring as the key aspect, that he needs to drop multiple 30+ point games.

But from what we’ve seen in the first two games, and really since the beginning of the Conference Finals, his assist-to-turnover differential is just as important to the Celtics’ hopes of an 18th NBA title.