Celtics’ Jayson Tatum admits shot ‘felt good’ despite woes vs. Pistons appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Celtics, through the first three quarters of their season-opening clash against the Detroit Pistons, appeared to be well on their way to a statement victory on the road. Paul George was on a heater, which helped compensate for a cold shooting night from star man Jayson Tatum. But the Celtics went frigid from the field and the Pistons went on a 23-0 run to turn the game on its head, handing Boston a 121-113 defeat.
Tatum finished the night with just 13 points on 6-23 shooting from the field. He missed all seven of his three-point attempts. The Celtics star scored just two points in the fourth quarter and was unable to stop the bleeding.
The 28-year-old star did record 11 assists. But the Celtics can ill afford this putrid of a shooting display from their best player and number one scoring option. Nonetheless, Tatum admitted that his shot “felt good” even if they weren’t swishing through the net.
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“It felt good. Definitely not one of my best nights, obviously. I feel really good about a lot of the looks,” Tatum said, via Celtics on CLNS on X. “I just have to play better. Part of my role is scoring.”
Jayson Tatum on how his shot felt tonight:
“It felt good. Definitely not one of my best nights…I just have to play better you know part of my role is scoring.”
–@CLNSMediapic.twitter.com/roPAGRRBuT— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) October 20, 2026
The Celtics traded Jaylen Brown away knowing full well that Tatum was coming back to fill that high-usage role Brown played last season. This simply was an off-night from the 28-year-old, someone who entered the night with a career field-goal percentage of 45.8%.
Tatum also bears the responsibility of facing the opposing team’s best defender, and it did not help that he lined up against Ausar Thompson, who is one of the best perimeter defenders in the game today.
The Celtics star is obviously going to be better than he showed on Tuesday, and his opportunity to redeem himself will come on Friday in another tough matchup, this time against the reigning champion New York Knicks.
Related: Celtics’ Derrick White gets candid about Paul George’s 38-point eruption vs. Pistons
Related: Celtics’ Paul George sends blunt message after wasted 38-point effort vs. Pistons