While it is still very early in the new season, one NBA scout revealed this week concerns that Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum may not return to being the player he was before he ruptured his Achilles.
The Celtics made the most surprising move of the offseason when they decided to break up the successful duo of Tatum and Jaylen Brown. In July, they sent the former to the Philadelphia 76ers in a trade that landed them a Paul George and a couple of first- and second-round picks.
Now, the six-time All-Star is the undisputed face of the franchise. It puts added weight on his shoulders a year and a half after surgery to repair his Achilles tendon. An injury he returned from faster than players like Tyrese Haliburton and Kevin Durant, who missed an entire season to recover from the same ailment.
During his limited time at the end of the regular season, Tatum looked good and looked like his old self. However, in the playoffs, he seemed to wear down as the Celtics blew a 3-1 series lead against the 76ers in the semifinals.
NBA scout on Jayson Tatum: ‘I do wonder if he’s the same guy’
After a summer to work on the rest of his body and his game, instead of rehabbing his Achilles, the expectation was that he would roar into the new season. However, in Boston’s season debut, he was 6 of 23 from the field and 0-for-7 from three in their loss to the Detroit Pistons. It was the type of performance that gave one NBA scout more reason to believe Tatum may not get back to being the elite player he was a couple of years ago.
“I do wonder if he’s the same guy,” a scout told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “Does he have the same burst and explosion? I’m not going to overreact to one game, but if the free throw numbers are down in December, that’s an indication that he’s not back to being himself coming off that Achilles.
“It’s a telltale sign when guys are shooting jumpers instead of getting to the rim like they used to.”
Tatum will get to show he was just rusty when the Celtics play the New York Knicks Friday night on Prime Video.
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