In his end-of-season press conference, Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens delivered a sobering assessment of his team’s playoff shortcomings. For several years running, the Celtics have struggled to generate consistent, high-quality shots in the postseason. While many observers immediately point toward roster upgrades—adding more shot creators and scorers—the solution may be far simpler, and it starts with a subtle but significant shift in how the franchise deploys its superstar.
The answer isn’t another blockbuster trade or a dramatic overhaul. It’s repositioning Jayson Tatum—moving him away from the primary ball-handling, point guard-like responsibilities he’s increasingly shouldered and leaning more into his natural strengths as a forward.
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Tatum has evolved into an elite passer and playmaker, a testament to his basketball IQ and commitment to growth. Yet the numbers tell a harsher story when it comes to his on-ball creation in the playoffs. His isolation possessions have been strikingly inefficient, among the highest volume in a single playoff run over the last decade, and the results have often been underwhelming. As a pick-and-roll handler, the production has similarly failed to reach the level the Celtics need when facing elite defenses.
By contrast, Tatum has been virtually unstoppable as a screener and off-ball shooter. When the Celtics flow through their guards and let Tatum operate with space and movement, the offense hums with rhythm and efficiency. Payton Pritchard, in particular, has emerged as one of the most effective pick-and-roll ballhandlers in these playoffs, demonstrating poise, vision, and the ability to set the table for others.
Despite this, the Celtics have repeatedly fallen back into familiar habits: handing the ball to Tatum and clearing out. While that approach can still produce winning basketball—thanks to Tatum’s undeniable talent and the supporting cast around him—it has proven insufficient against the league’s best when the stakes are highest.
Tatum as lead ballhandler may actually be wasting his immense talent.
This is not a criticism of Tatum, who remains one of the premier players in the NBA. As he enters his prime, adding size and strength while continuing to recover from a torn Achilles, there is simply no need to burden him with high-volume, inefficient on-ball reps that don’t maximize his skill set. Forcing him into a heliocentric role—akin to James Harden or Luka Doncic—asks him to be something he doesn’t need to be.
Instead, Boston should double down on a proven formula: utilizing skilled table-setters like Pritchard and Derrick White to initiate offense, bend defenses, and create advantageous opportunities. This allows Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and the rest of the supporting pieces to attack in rhythm, whether cutting, popping off screens, or attacking closeouts.
It’s a strategy that has already delivered one championship and multiple deep playoff runs. No one is suggesting Tatum transform into a post-dominant big man constantly setting screens like Shaq. He doesn’t need to. He simply needs to be deployed in the areas where his all-around brilliance shines brightest.
Tatum should be celebrated for becoming the versatile, two-way force he is today. The Celtics’ path forward doesn’t require diminishing his role—it requires optimizing it. By reducing his lead ballhandling duties and embracing a more forward-oriented identity, Boston can unlock a more efficient, less predictable offense that plays to everyone’s strengths.
The talent is already in place. The adjustment, while philosophically significant, is tactically straightforward. As Brad Stevens and the front office map out the next chapter, the most impactful move might not be who they add, but how they reposition the player they already have. If the Celtics get this right, Jayson Tatum’s game—and Boston’s offense—could reach an even higher level in 2026-27.