BOSTON — Jayson Tatum drew Victor Wembanyama on a switch early in the third quarter in San Antonio last week, jab-stepped him and strolled to the rim for a routine layup on his way to 14 second half points on 6-for-10 shooting in Jaylen Brown’s absence. Officials ejected Brown in the second quarter while Derrick White suffered a knee contusion later in the second half that limited his effectiveness late. Tatum needed to turn into a scorer, giving the game what it needs as Joe Mazzulla has repeated, and scored of Boston’s 26 points in the fourth quarter as they attempted a late rally from down by 13 points.
“Compared to the first game, I feel a lot more relaxed,” Tatum said. “Obviously, the first game was such a big day and moment. I think now … I’m finding more and more moments each game where I’m feeling more confident, more explosive, whether it’s driving, a closeout or reacting to something. It’s just more and more moments each game where I find plays where maybe it’s not a big play people would notice, but it’s something that I notice and that gave me confidence.”
Tatum continued to rack up blow-by drives in a 20-point performance against the Wizards on Saturday that saw him shoot 6-for-10 inside the arc. Three-pointers continue to elude him, a 2-for-9 finish dropping him to 27.5% from deep since his return as he gathers confidence through an admittedly anxious and careful return. Boston limited him to 27 minutes in each of his first three games before handing him a five-minute stint to close the fourth quarter as the Wizards rallied from down by 30 points to within 11 points at the final buzzer.
He also received the full third quarter that he’s preferred throughout his career, making all four twos in the frame while finishing 1-for-5 from three. The games increasingly show moments of rust alongside Tatum testing his physical capabilities, making the results difficult to discern between what he’ll regain from improved rhythm and what he may need more time to physically regain, if he ever does. Tatum’s driving dunk miss from his debut became a loud moment as he nearly went scoreless in his first half back. Saturday’s start against the Wizards resembled that too, going scoreless for the game’s first 21 minutes until he sunk two free throws, pulled up for a three, found Neemias Queta on the roll, then sunk a mid-ranger to close the first half.
“Reading two-on-ones, executing, defensively rebounding, understanding personnel, who he’s guarding,” Mazzulla said. “So just the details, the simple things, continuing to get in shape, but right now, the most important thing is giving the game what it needs on both sides of the floor and he’s doing a good job of that.”
Tatum’s 25.2 points, 10.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists per 36 minutes reflect his previous impact more than his 40% shooting from the field so far. The Celtics have challenged him defensively, switching him onto Donovan Mitchell in Cleveland while mixing in 29 pick-and-roll sets through his first four games back, more than seven per game and almost as many as the 8.5 per game he averaged last year. He’s taking 12.7 three-point attempts per 36 minutes, tying LaMelo Ball for the league lead among qualifiers — and paying homage with a few one-legged attempts. The Celtics have won his minutes by 13.4 points per 100 possessions so far despite his mixed individual results.
That’s mostly come through a 100.4 defensive rating in his minutes that leads the Celtics, posting a 24.8 DREB% that changed the team’s fortunes on the boards almost overnight. Boston’s 113.8 offensive rating through Tatum’s stretches ranks last on the team by almost two full points per 100 below Baylor Scheierman, showing the additive nature of the little things Tatum provides and the disruptiveness of trying to get him going. The Celtics have, for what it’s worth, improved to average on his pick-and-rolls (0.83 PPP, 43rd percentile) while remaining poor when he plays in isolation (0.61 PPP, 10th percentile). Boston has lost its minutes by 6.3 points per 100 with Tatum on the floor and Brown off. Brown has taken a hit, number-wise, since Tatum’s return with 21.0 PPG 5.6 RPG and 6.4 APG on 45% shooting through five games, with a 34-point breakout at Oklahoma City while Tatum rested resembling the earlier season version of the Celtics’ play style, rotations and offense.
“Just trying to do what the coaching staff’s asking me, preparing myself every night to come out and help our team get a win,” Brown said after Tatum’s debut. “My mindset has been the same, come out and help my team win, whatever it takes, so my mindset hasn’t changed.”
“I’m focused on the work in-between, the details in-between that need to be done to make sure the ship is staying afloat and it’s a well-oiled machine. Right now, we’re not there, but I have faith.”
The Celtics still have the option to stagger Brown-led lineups and have into second quarters, with those posting a +5.0 net rating since Tatum’s return, Oklahoma City game aside. Brown and Tatum’s minutes together haven’t shown any issues aside from poor three-point shooting (29.5%), with their 93.5 defensive rating through 73 minutes back together powering a +24.7 partnership.
Individually, some signs show room for growth, physically, as Tatum attempts to regain his former level. He’s driving 1.3 fewer times per game, is spending 0.3 fewer seconds on the ball per touch and posting up 0.5 times per game, compared to 1.4 in 2025, according to the NBA’s tracking data. His free throw attempts per 36 have fallen by more than half from 6.0 last year to 2.9 since coming back. Over his last three games, he’s attempted two shots at the line, where he’s often lived throughout his career. According to Synergy, slightly more than half of his attempts have come behind the three-point line, in line with his diet last year. He’s taking 76% of his shots outside the restricted zone, the same as in 2025.
And when you look up after a slow start or rotation, it feels like watching Tatum again. One moment, he’s scoreless, and one quarter later, he’s posting a double-double through both of his first nights back at TD Garden.
“I’ve said it a lot and I’m not trying to beat it,” Mazzulla said. “But I think give the game what it needs. He had five and five, I think, but when he came out at the four-minute mark, he was playing great basketball and so I think sometimes these guys get judged by just the points, and some of that is their responsibility, but he has the grace to not be judged by that sometimes. Especially at a time like that where you’re just coming back.”
“That helps us win.”
