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Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Jayson Tatum has improved his game year-on-year since entering the NBA. As a rookie, the St. Louis native was primarily a catch-and-shoot threat with a fiesty mid-range and low-post game. However, during his tenure with the Boston Celtics, Tatum has developed into one of the most gifted scorers of his generation.

Tatum works with renowned NBA skills trainer Drew Hanlen. The pair are both from St. Louis, and Tatum has trusted him with his overall development since his high school days. In a recent interview with Hanlen on my “Celtics Chronicle” YouTube channel, the skills trainer explained what led Tatum to become a more perimeter-based scorer.

“When Brad Stevens was coaching, the Celtics were like, ‘Hey, we want his shot profile and shot diet to change,” Hanlen said. “And we want a lot less long twos and a lot less mid-range twos in general.’ It didn’t really matter what I thought, there might be times where we’d say, ‘Hey, well, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant.’ And you start naming off these guys and say, all of them had great mid-range. And they’re like, yes, but here’s the data. He’s scoring 0.88 points when he shoots these shots, but he’s shooting 1.06 when he takes threes.”

Tatum is a career 37.3% three-point shooter. He’s also knocking down 35.9% of his off-the-dribble threes this season, which are known for their high degree of difficulty. Clearly, the Celtics had a vision for the type of player they wanted Tatum to become, and his consistent improvements have turned that vision into a reality.

At 26 years old, Tatum is an NBA champion, a three-time All-NBA First-Team selection and a six-time All-Star.

Celtics Have Added a Versatile Defender

Even though Tatum is a top-five or top-seven talent in the NBA, the Celtics have consistently looked for ways to improve the roster. Brad Stevens added Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis during the summer of 2023. Those additions led to a championship last season.

Now, with Joe Mazzulla’s team halfway through their title defense, Stevens has moved to add further depth to the wing position. Torrey Craig has signed with the Celtics for the remainder of the season. He was recently waived by the Chicago Bulls. During a recent media availability on Feb. 8, Craig explained why he chose to join the Celtics.

“As a competitor in the league, you always want to play for something and compete for something,” Craig said. “I’m a super competitor and I want to play basketball the right way at the highest level. Just to get an opportunity to come play with these guys was like a no-brainer…They’re a deep team, super talented. Well-coached, well-disciplined. They play the right way. They know what it takes to win playing defense. Playing together and having each other’s backs. You can just see it. The team chemistry and they allow each other to feed off each other and play together and I think that’s why they’ve been so dominant these past couple years.”

Craig will bring defensive versatility and physicality to Boston’s bench. As a genuine veteran, he will likely compete for rotation minutes between now and the end of the season. How well he does in those minutes will dictate how much playing time he gets during the postseason.

Celtics Shouldn’t Fear The Knicks

On Feb. 8, the Boston Celtics secured a 131-104 over the New York Knicks. Tom Thiodeau’s team has been cited as one of the Celtics biggest threats in the Eastern Conference. However, the Knicks have now lost both of their games against the Celtics this season.

When speaking on NBC Sports Boston’s postgame show, Brian Scalabrine declared that New York isn’t on Boston’s level.

“If you’re the Knicks, it all comes crashing down,” Scalabrine said via NBC Sports Boston’s postgame show. “You are now reminded, once again, that you are not on the same level, and you have a long way to go.”

The Celtics shouldn’t take New York lightly, as they will continue to improve over the second half of the season. However, as of now, the Cleveland Cavaliers appear to be Boston’s biggest threat. Of course, if Mazzulla’s team can rediscover their dominance from the 2023-24 season, then nobody should be able to stop them en route to the NBA Finals.