Jayson Tatum hasn’t had the touch so far in the 2022 NBA Finals.
In Boston’s loss to Golden State in Game 4, Tatum finished with 23 points on 8-for-23 shooting from the field. He’s now averaging 22.3 points per game in the series on 34.1/45.2/73.1 shooting splits (field goals/3-pointers/free throws).
Tatum has made an impact as a passer and is a key part of what makes the Celtics so dominant defensively, but they’re going to need him to get going as a scorer to win two of the next three games and help Boston raise the Larry O’Brien trophy for the first time in over a decade.
How have the Warriors contained the three-time All-Star? Let’s take a closer look.
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Where is Jayson Tatum struggling to score from?
Everywhere but the 3-point line, basically.
While he’s 14-for-31 (45.2 percent) from the perimeter through four games, Tatum is 2-for-17 (11.8 percent) from midrange and 12-for-34 (35.3 percent) in the paint.
Tatum’s struggles around the basket are particularly concerning.
How the Warriors have guarded Jayson Tatum
To no one’s surprise, Andrew Wiggins has been the primary defender on Tatum in the Finals. According to the NBA’s matchup data, Wiggins has been matched up with Tatum for around 32 minutes, limiting him to 34 points on 13-for-39 shooting from the field.
The Celtics haven’t been shy about mismatch-hunting, and the Warriors have been switching more than expected. The likes of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney have each spent time guarding Tatum as well.
Based on the numbers, Tatum has had the most success against Curry and Gary Payton II.
| Defender | Matchup minutes | Points | Assists | Turnovers | FGM-FGA |
| Andrew Wiggins | 31:47 | 34 | 12 | 2 | 13-39 |
| Klay Thompson | 6:56 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1-10 |
| Stephen Curry | 6:28 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 5-11 |
| Draymond Green | 5:09 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1-7 |
| Gary Payton II | 5:14 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 4-5 |
| Jordan Poole | 3:31 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 4-9 |
| Kevon Looney | 2:58 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 3-8 |
| Andre Iguodala | 2:47 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0-0 |
| Otto Porter Jr. | 2:13 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0-2 |
| Nemanja Bjelica | 1:41 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0-5 |
How the Warriors have limited Jayson Tatum
It starts with Wiggins, but the Warriors have shown Tatum multiple bodies whenever he puts the ball on the floor. That has opened up his passing game — Tatum is averaging a series-high 7.8 assists per game, the bulk of which have come from him collapsing the defense and finding open shooters — but it’s made it hard for him to establish any sort of rhythm as a scorer.
“At times, he’s looking for fouls,” Celtics head coach Ime Udoka said following Game 4 when asked about Tatum’s struggles at the rim. “They are a team that loads up in certain games. He’s finding the outlets, shooting over two, three guys. That’s the balance of being aggressive and picking your spots and doing what he’s done in previous games, which is kick it out and get wide-open looks.
“That’s the ongoing theme, so to speak, him getting to the basket, being a scorer as well as a playmaker. They do a good job with their rotations. Sometimes [he is] hunting fouls instead of going to finish. I’ve seen that in a few games so far.”
This possession from Game 4 is a good example of how much attention the Warriors are paying to Tatum:
Did you see it? Bjelica picks up Tatum following a missed shot from Thompson, and the Celtics clear the floor for him to go at him one-on-one — only the Warriors don’t give him an opportunity to go one-on-one.
Notice how Green and Wiggins are both looking directly at Tatum while he’s thinking about his next move.
Green tells Wiggins to drop down and take Robert Williams III so he can slide over and muck up the spacing.
Tatum still has some time to do his work, but he decides to throw a skip pass to Grant Williams, which is picked off by Wiggins.
That possession ended in a turnover, not a missed shot, but the same rules apply when Tatum does attack the basket. A perimeter defender will often stunt at him, forcing him to pick up his dribble earlier than he normally would.
The result? A lot of floaters, which isn’t Tatum’s forte.
When Tatum has gotten closer to the basket, he’s almost always been met by an additional defender, and it hasn’t only been Green and Looney.
Both Wiggins…
… and Thompson have been able to impact his shots at the rim.
So much has been made of Boston’s defense in these NBA Playoffs that it’s easy to forget that Golden State finished with the second-best defensive rating in the league during the regular season. It shows in how well the Warriors scramble and rotate.
What has Jayson Tatum said about his performance so far?
After Game 4, Tatum talked about the importance of making quicker decisions.
“When I do have space, I’m open, I got to take the shot,” he said. “Obviously, any time I hold it too long, they load up and things like that. I think just quick decisions, don’t turn down any open looks, any daylight that I have, just continue to try to make the right pass.
“I had too many turnovers tonight. I think just make quicker decisions.”
He also brought up the importance of moving the ball as a team.
“I don’t think that’s the problem. I mean, I feel like I can get my shot off whenever. It’s just making the right play throughout the course of the game, and not necessarily just staring. Sometimes we get it — we all did it at times. We just got to move. I think that’s when we’re most effective, when everybody is moving.
“We move the ball really well, but it’s kind of hard to move the ball when we’re just standing there.”
Is Jayson Tatum dealing with an injury?
It is worth noting that Tatum suffered a shoulder injury in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Udoka said heading into Game 4 of the NBA Finals that he thinks Tatum is dealing with a stinger and that it’s going to “flare up whenever he gets hit the wrong way.” Udoka added that he’s not sure if “it has any impact on him finishing,” but it’s something to monitor the rest of the way.