Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum is back on the court, but the road to All-NBA form is proving bumpier than expected.
Eight games into his return from a devastating right Achilles tear suffered in last May’s playoffs, Tatum is putting up respectable all-around numbers: 19.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game in about 30 minutes a night. He’s been solid as a passer, rebounder, and secondary playmaker — exactly what you’d hope from a superstar easing back into action after nearly 10 months on the sidelines.
But the scoring efficiency? That’s another story.
Tatum is shooting a career-worst 38.8% from the field and a brutal 29.3% from three, despite launching 8 two-point attempts and a whopping 9.4 threes per game. The rust is real, the timing is off, and the jumper that made him one of the league’s most feared scorers simply hasn’t returned yet. For a player whose game has long lived on the perimeter, this shooting slump is impossible to ignore.
That’s why Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony stepped in with some blunt, old-school wisdom on the NBA on NBC postgame show.
“Me, personally, I would love to see JT as he’s figuring this out and getting his body back, play in this low block area a little more,” Melo said. “Play as close as you can to the basket. You’re so big and strong, you can shoot over little guys, get in the paint. You’re too strong for these guys. Don’t try to get it back out there around the three. I want to see you get down to this spot and then you build yourself back up.”
It’s classic Melo logic — and there’s real merit to it.
At 6’8″ with elite length, strength, and a silky post game (including that signature fadeaway), Tatum has the tools to dominate on the block. He could bully smaller defenders, create easy buckets in the paint, and use the low post as a foundation to gradually rebuild his rhythm and confidence. Melo’s point is simple: stop forcing jumpers while your legs and timing are still coming back — get to the rim, score easy, and let everything else flow from there.
Tatum absolutely has the footwork and the mid-range game to make the low block a weapon. When he faces up or spins off, his explosiveness (even at 80-90% health) can still beat most wings.
But here’s the catch — and it’s a big one.
The Celtics already have an elite interior scorer in Jaylen Brown, who has been carrying the offense at an MVP-caliber level all season while Tatum recovered. Shifting Tatum inside more often could create redundancy, clog the paint, and hurt Boston’s legendary spacing that has defined their championship-contending offense under Joe Mazzulla.
Right now, the Celtics are still winning with Tatum on the floor (6-2 in his eight games), but the offense isn’t humming the same way. If Tatum’s jumper stays cold deep into the playoffs, Mazzulla and the coaching staff may have no choice but to tweak the approach — at least temporarily.
Still, the bigger picture is encouraging. Tatum’s minutes have steadily increased, he’s moving well defensively, and he’s impacting the game in ways that don’t show up in the box score. The Celtics sit near the top of the East despite missing their franchise player for most of the year. With each game, Tatum edges closer to his old self.
Carmelo’s suggestion is smart short-term medicine: simplify, attack the paint, rebuild from the inside out. But long-term? Tatum’s identity is as a perimeter creator who can pull up from anywhere. Once his legs fully return and the timing clicks, that lethal pull-up and step-back three will be back — and far more dangerous when paired with occasional low-post bullying.
For now, it’s a fascinating debate. Melo sees a path to easier buckets while Tatum rebuilds. Celtics fans are just hoping the shooting splits start trending up before the real games in May and June begin.
It’s a nice idea from a legend. Whether it actually happens in Boston’s system… well, that’s another question entirely.