Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Jayson Tatum's role is shifting as the Celtics eye another title. He must provide elite rebounding and playmaking to elevate Boston beyond just a talented team.
- Specific data shows Tatum leads in on/off rebounding splits and free throw frequency. His ability to draw fouls and dish to teammates offsets his lower scoring.
- His performance dictates Boston's ceiling. Without his assertive playmaking and glasswork, the Celtics risk losing steam before reaching the NBA Finals.
Nobody on earth thinks Jayson Tatum is some kind of secret … anything — he’s not a secret agent, a secret base in the mountains, not Victoria’s Secret (probably), not a secret identity or even a secret ingredient. Saying “Jayson Tatum is the Boston Celtics’ secret weapon” is like saying ketchup is your secret sauce; like saying your secret base is in your garage; like saying your secret handshake is a high five.
But Jayson Tatum is Boston’s most important player in their upcoming, somehow-favored-to-win-the-east playoff run. Given that one of his teammates, Jaylen Brown, might make an All-NBA First Team, that is quite the statement, and one that many of my Celtics connects will no-doubt disagree with. But I don’t think the Jaylen Bro … eltics (Browneltics? Browceltics? I’m not sure this works) could win the Finals. The Brown-and-Tatumeltics? Well, they already won the Finals!
Tatum may defer to Brown in scoring, but can't be a true second fiddle
When all is completely even, Tatum is a better player than Brown — he’s a better passer, a more versatile defender and a major force on the glass. But Tatum probably isn’t 100 percent downloaded into the season yet even if he is fully healthy. However, Tatum provides two aforementioned things that the Celtics sorely need and cannot win without: playmaking and rebounding, with the latter being an absolute non-negotiable. More on that in a minute.
But first, while America may run on Dunkin’, the Boston Celtics have run on Jaylen Brown for five months, even since Tatum came back. He is their most assertive offensive player and the only one who consistently looks for a shot inside the arc; among Boston’s four players that average over 10 shot attempts per game — Brown, Tatum, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard — Brown is way ahead in two-point frequency, taking 73.8 percent of his shots from inside the arc. Both White and Pritchard are below 50 percent, with Tatum just scraping above that at 50.2 percent.
Boston has conversely shot fewer threes this season with Tatum out relative to their two-year run of shooting the most in the NBA. They’re shooting five fewer threes per game, owing I’m sure to Brown’s presence as the primary scorer. Since Tatum’s return, Brown has still led the team in scoring and will likely continue to do so in the playoffs.
Tatum has to be Boston's best rebounder and passer in these playoffs
But Tatum is far-and-away the best rebounder on the Celtics, and Boston’s on/off rebounding splits are night and day with and without him. Meanwhile, he has also improved their pace numbers and assist rate, owing to his tremendous vision as a passer and legitimate willingness to dish more since his return. He’s probably the best passer on the team as well.
I will say I am not as bullish on Tatum the pass-first creator as some of my colleagues. The best version of Boston is when Tatum uses his all-world shot-making to its fullest, and I’ve always theorized that a pass-first Tatum is a guy lacking confidence in certain moments. The pass-firstiest Tatum ever got was in the 2022 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors — not his finest moment. He was clearly in a funk from the number of double teams he was seeing and struggled to adapt his scoring instincts.
But he’s an excellent passer, and at his most terminatorish when he creates great shots for his teammates because he can get his own. The defense adapts, and he makes them pay. Along with his rebounding (which has been undeniable since his return; Tatum is averaging 10 boards per game, a career high) he takes the Celtics from an effort-fueled, fairly talented team to a peak-talent, high effort machine that can beat anyone anytime anywhere.
Tatum's ability to get to the free throw line will be critical for Boston
Tatum also negotiates one other big-money item: free throws per 100 possessions, the on/off stat that has gone the most through the roof since Tatum came back. The guy simply knows how to get fouled, and explodes to the rim with arm angles that naturally cause fouls and create free throws. Brown is a bit slower, more methodical and bulldozery with his paint scoring, which doesn’t command the same kind of officiating. That is seriously, seriously important in the playoffs with tighter whistles and major inflation on tickets to the charity stripe. Tatum being assertive is the straw that stirs that particular drink.
Tatum being Tatum, particularly the rebounding, slashing and getting-fouled is absolutely essential if the Celtics are going to make it out of the East and downright required if Boston has any interest in winning the title. If Tatum becomes too deferential to Brown, White or other players, or has any nervy passivity lingering from his injury, Boston is going to run out of steam somewhere before the finish line.
Nobody could have expected or even really requested this from Tatum after tearing his Achilles less than a year ago. But the fact remains: while he doesn’t need to be a top-five player in the world like he was in 2024, he’s going to need to clock in and get to work on his deliverables: rebounding, playmaking, getting fouled. That is the recipe for Celtics success. And if a recipe is what we need, maybe Tatum is the secret ingredient after all.
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