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Is Jayson Tatum Putting Too Much Pressure on Himself? Celtics Star Shares His Perspective

In the Celtics' 107-97 Game 4 loss to the Warriors, Jayson Tatum finished with 23 points on 23 shots, extending his shooting struggles this series.

Author:
Bobby Krivitsky
Jun 12, 2022 6:22 PM EDT

Four games into his first NBA Finals, Jayson Tatum's averaging 22.3 points, the least he's generated in a series in the Celtics' playoff run.

He's knocking down 3.5 of the 7.8 threes he's taking (45.2 percent) but shooting an astonishingly low 34.1 percent from the field. Even at the free-throw line, Tatum's only converting on 73.1 percent of his opportunities.

USATSI_18514440 — Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports

Tatum suffered a stinger in his right shoulder in Boston's Eastern Conference Finals tilt with the Heat, and there are moments in these Finals where he's grabbing his right arm, noticeably in pain.

Regardless of its role in slowing down the All-NBA First-Team member, Tatum's made more of an impact facilitating than scoring in the NBA Finals. That may not be enough for the Celtics to raise banner 18 to the rafters.

USATSI_18513987 — Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Sunday, when asked how much pressure Tatum's putting on himself, he responded: "I guess the same amount of pressure I've always had; it's not something I go to sleep thinking about and (it's on my mind when I) wake up.

"I want to win by any means necessary, and I'll do whatever it takes. That's all I care about right now is winning. Whether you win or you don't win, you guys will debate rankings or what does that matter for your legacy and things like that; that's not up to me. In this moment, I've said it, I felt like every day, just trying to do what I can to impact winning by all costs."