Sometimes, it’s something simple that determines our fate — a job application sent on a whim, a comment from a loved one, flipping a coin. For Jayson Tatum, his fate has been determined by the simplest of basketball actions. The pick-and-roll.
The Dallas Mavericks have been searching for targets for Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to attack in the first two games of this series. In Game 2, they decided their fate rested with Jayson Tatum. Over and over, up would come Tatum’s defender, set a screen, and Tatum would switch onto one of Dallas’ dynamic ball handlers. The early results for Dallas were encouraging.
But Tatum’s a sturdy, resolute defender. Even as he was settling into being the object of Dallas’ offensive exploitation, he wasn’t without his victories.
He mostly contained Luka, forcing him to fire up difficult shots, many of which he made.
Some of which he did not make.
On balance, it was a gutsy defensive performance from Tatum, who is tasked with a massive burden on that end in the series. He’s guarding the center and fighting for rebounding position, and then also being asked to switch onto two elite ballhandlers. It’s a difficult task, and one he’s mostly been up to.
Offensively, Tatum has been a maestro. He leads the NBA Playoffs in pick-and-roll efficiency (including passes, minimum 50 possessions) per Synergy.
As much as Luka and Irving went at Tatum on the defensive end, Tatum has been aggressively targeting them both, too.
Possession after possession, Tatum brings up a teammate with Luka or Kyrie guarding them and has him set a pick. The duo has no choice but to accept their fate.
And usually, Jayson Tatum finds a good shot. It might not go in — he’s missed plenty over two games himself — but the Celtics have made offense look pretty easy, regularly manipulating Dallas’s defense, putting Irving and Doncic into matchups they have little success against, and, most importantly, moving the ball.
As the Cs have moved ever deeper into the playoffs, they’ve continually rose to the challenge. They’ve done it with trust, with an egalitarian style that doesn’t concern itself with individual stats or benchmarks. Instead, the team only cares about the team. It starts with the Jays, two stars willing to do what’s best for the Celtics, not themselves, trusting that moving the ball is the best way to win. It’s their only objective.
Tatum’s pick-and-roll performance, on both ends, is a testament to that. He’s started to look a lot less like his personal Lakers idol, Kobe Bryant, and more like another Lakers legend, Magic Johnson. Magic famously started at center in a Finals clinching Game 6. Guarding the biggest guy on the court, while commanding the offense on the other end. Sounds familiar.
