Boston has not been an offensive juggernaut this season — they rank 22nd in the league in offensive rating — but Friday night might have been a new low. Payton Pritchard nailed a 3 with 7:19 left in the game, and that was the last field goal the Celtics hit all game. Boston led by nine at that point, and they got some free throws down the stretch, but they blew the lead and lost to the Trail Blazers.
At the top of the offensive woes for Boston is Jayson Tatum: He has missed his last 20 3-pointers, dating back four games.
Tatum is a career 39.6% shooter from 3 who cannot find his stroke this season. He is shooting 31.7% from 3 for the season and now, and according to Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston Tatum is shooting 10% on crunch-time 3s this season and 31% on wide-open 3s (no defender within six feet).
Tatum talked about his shooting slump.
"Over the course of 82 games, some nights you just miss but you put in too much work to doubt yourself" - Jayson Tatum on his shooting slump this season
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) January 22, 2022
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“I don’t know. Maybe stuff like this happens every once in a while. But I know for myself, and I guess some of the other guys who aren’t shooting as well, it’s not going to change how people guard us. They know what [I am] capable of, and it’s just a matter of getting out of it. And I will, and we’ll be able to talk about something else.”
Boston heads into the trade deadline looking for a move that could spark the offense and help turn the season around (they are not trading Tatum or Jaylen Brown, rather the plan is to build around the duo). But the best turnaround might simply be for Tatum to rediscover his shot. Which is easier said than done when you are in the middle of a slump.
