I want Jayson Tatum to take the final shot 99 times out of 100. Last night was the one time I didn’t want him to.
This isn’t me using hindsight or anything like it. It’s been something I’ve been thinking about over the last couple of seasons. Jayson Tatum is one of the best players in the league and should be in the MVP conversation. In crunch time it’s normal to give your best player the ball and let them make something happen. However, this team isn’t like most teams. This team is filled with elite players, five of whom have been voted as an All-Star at some point in their careers.
With that said, when it’s the regular season, Tatum does not need to take the last shot every time the game is on the line.
Last night against the short-handed Cavaliers, Cleveland came back in the fourth quarter to stun the Celtics. Despite Dean Wade’s fourth-quarter surge, the Celtics stayed in the game thanks to key plays from Derrick White and Kristaps Porzingis down the stretch.
Porzingis was involved in Boston’s last seven points in the game. The first was his tough post move over Georges Niang. Then KP showed his willingness as a passer feeding Jrue Holiday on a back cut, a pass we’ve seen him make all season.
With under a minute left, Porzingis got to the rim and finished plus the foul to give Boston a one-point lead after making his free throw.
Before the last shot of the game, Tatum only shot the ball once in the final four minutes which was a fadeaway shot in the paint that hit the front rim.
In the second half, Tatum was 1/12 in the second half (1/9 in the fourth) after his red-hot first half. Porzingis was 2/4 in the fourth, while Jaylen Brown didn’t attempt a shot in the final quarter.
Teams shouldn’t necessarily be tracking who has been shooting the best in the final quarter to see who should take the last shot, but sometimes, going with the hot hand is the better option, especially if that hot hand is also a top-tier player.
If Donovan Mitchell played last night, I’m sure he would get the last shot over Dean Wade. But, with all do respect Wade, going from Wade to Mitchell isn’t the same as going from Tatum to Porzingis.
NBA players have every right to be confident in their abilities as they are the best in the world at what they do. However, at times, especially in a “meaningless” regular season game, I would like the ball to find someone who has the hot hand or is having a better quarter. It was Porzingis who was keeping us alive in the final minutes of the game and even if he doesn’t get the final shot, it’s wasteful to not have him involved in the offense.
Tatum’s final shot was one bounce from going in, it was that close. Personally, I am not a fan of just milking the clock down to the final shot if you’re just doing isolation. The ball was inbounded to Tatum with 19 seconds left, plenty of time to run a set or get movement before the last shot.
With that much time on the clock, there should be more people moving to move the defense around rather than milking the clock down to the final seconds.
Tatum did admit postgame that he “probably should have went a little faster.”
Tatum crossed halfcourt with 11 seconds left and then got his matchup with 8 seconds to go where he then made his move. Porzingis was sent to the corner and Jaylen Brown just spaced the court in no man’s land.
No one will win the NBA Finals from this game, but sometimes with a team that’s filled with All-Stars, it’s fine to put the ball in the hands of someone like Porzingis.
If Mazzulla believes that the best player shoots the best shot, then Boston should have run a set to use Porzingis or Brown as a decoy for Tatum. Just having them two sit in the corner and away from the play allows more focus to be on Tatum.
If this was a playoff game or a shot to win the Finals, then I would want Tatum to take the shot. However, considering the circumstances of last night, Tatum shouldn’t have gotten the final look.
