Three Leaf Clover: The King of Playmaking, Jayson Tatum

Three Leaf Clover: The King of Playmaking, Jayson Tatum.

We want Walshy, and Jayson Tatum has made a playmaking leap.

What a fantastic basketball week. It’s obvious that the Celtics aren’t playing at their best as they approach the All-Star break, but that’s okay. In February, they won’t be absolutely necessary, and the best part? They seem to have found every method to win against Brooklyn, and they are continuing finding ways to win. Jayson Tatum, who has discovered his pull-up jumper and combined it with the best playmaking run of his career, could be the main factor. It seems to be a really potent combination.

Weekly Stat: 6.4 assists per game

Jayson Tatum has done one of two things in his last ten games. Either he’s acquired some new echolocation skill that makes it easier for him to comprehend the geometry of a defense than he did previously, or he’s growing more at ease using the more traditional method of reading defenses. It’s likely that we will never find out, but one thing is for sure—that guy is playmaking at a level he’s never reached before.

Tatum’s season average of 4.8 assists per game has increased to 6.4 in his previous 10 games. The best part is that throughout that time, he has also averaged 2.5 turnovers, right in line with his season average of 2.5.

turnovers in that time frame, which is precisely in line with his 2.5 season average. When I put on my math glasses—which are smaller than my reading glasses but slightly larger than my driving glasses—I can see that his assist to turnover ratio has also increased dramatically, from 1.92 to 2.56, since last year.

I’m not sure how genuine this is, but it’s quite positive, and the usage increase (29.4% for the season, and 29.7% for the last ten days) isn’t unsustainable either. It’s not like he’s passing much more, but the passes he is making are more accurate. He locates players in perilous situations and places passes in shooting pockets to create clean jumpers. Tatum has always been a highly skilled playmaker, but occasionally he has had trouble figuring out the ideal balance of pass and shot. He’s been striking the ideal balance lately, leading the Celtics one dime at a time toward the All-Star break.

Jayson Tatum selecting the appropriate readings with Xs and Oohhhs.

Tatum’s ability to make the right play every time he has the ball accounts for a significant portion of his assist jump. Occasionally, he throws the ball across the floor to an open shooter in a next-level pass.

Sometimes, though, all it takes is taking the easy step—for example, identifying Jaylen’s mismatch post.

He’s also become quite skilled at reading the defense with his eyes and head.

He uses his eyes to follow the roll guy (KP) in this play. Al is able to get open for a corner three when that modest emphasis brings in the corner help onto KP. It’s a good for three no-look pass that is on time and on aim. That’s some serious playwriting from a future Hollywood star.

Although it’s attractive, the Hawks’ defense is horrible. A 6’9″ player won’t be able to snake the pick-and-roll too frequently on better opponents.

He’s long had a propensity to pick up his dribble in the face of strong defense, failing to locate the proper angle to find the rolling screen setter. As a result, he was compelled to make a pass that avoided rather than increased the pressure.