BOSTON — Jayson Tatum stood in the locker room after his rockiest start to a game yet striking a different tone from his typical slow scoring nights. He fell to 38.8% from the field and 29.3% from three after eight games back from his Achilles tear, and acknowledged that he doesn’t view the slow start from the field as a typical slump. The loss to the Timberwolves marked only the sixth time since 2019, his second season, that Tatum scored 0 points in a half.
“This is the first time I went through something like this,” Tatum said on Sunday. “It’s been a long time. It was a long time before I could shoot a basketball … so just trying to knock the rust off game-by-game. I find great spurts and moments from game-to-game, just trying to put more of them together.”
Joe Mazzulla continued to stress Tatum giving the game what it needs, an overarching message to help the team re-calibrate following the star’s return. His ability to impact the game in multiple areas allowed him to post the best net rating among the regular contributors on the team (+11.2) in his minutes through Sunday, including the Celtics’ best defensive rating (103.0). His offensive rating (114.2), however, ranks last in the current rotation.
The Celtics ran an off-ball play to get Tatum his first basket after halftime, which began a run of 10 points coming in just over three minutes to begin the third quarter. Tatum finished 6-for-16 with 16 points and 11 rebounds, now averaging 23.1 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists with only 2.3 turnovers per 36 minutes with his restriction now hovering around 32 minutes. It’s progress for a player returning from arguably the worst injury an NBA player can suffer. But Mazzulla said at practice on Tuesday that he and the coaches can do more to spark Tatum.
“I don’t think it was about getting him those reps (after halftime),” Mazzulla said. “It was giving the game exactly what it needed. I think we can do better about picking and choosing spots. He was (0-4) in the first half, some of those were great shots, and just continuing to find those and I thought he went on a great run in the third quarter. At the end of the day, it’s just giving the game what it needs through that and that’s just what we’ve continued to look at. Where are the opportunities that you’re finding on your own? Where are the opportunities that I can create for you? And where are the opportunities that are going to come within the flow of the game. It’s that simple. I think he’s doing a great job of coming in and giving the game exactly what it needs.”
Mazzulla liked the shots Tatum attempted to begin his comeback, his physical drives and said he’s exceeded the expectations the Celtics had for him while adding that they can always create easier shots for him. Tatum’s shot profile changed in his return, leaning into more threes (11.3 attempts per 36 minutes compared to 10.0 last year). His free throw attempts dropped from 6.0 to 4.1 per 36 in line with that shift, and while his drives stayed consistent with how often he attacked last year, he’s shooting 2.3 percentage points worse on those plays. Tatum’s efficiency in the restricted area dropped from 71.9% in 2025 to 64.7% so far.
His greatest contributions have come as a connector, ranking in the 88th percentile by creating 1.04 points per possession as a pick-and-roll ball handler despite shooting 40.4% from the field himself. His isolation efficiency dropped to the 6th percentile of the league with 0.57 PPP. Tatum mentioned not feeling fully confident in his burst until the loss to the Spurs, where he drove past Victor Wembanyama after a jab-step. He’s received fewer opportunities to create, ranking fourth on the team with 65.8 touches per game (2.4 seconds on average), compared to his team-leading 84.9 (3.7 sec. avg.) last year. On Sunday, Chris Finch noted Tatum’s change in role while commending the impressiveness of him simply returning to the court at this stage of his recovery.
“I think it’s been super appropriate,” Finch said. “He’s come in understanding where to fit in, how to fit in, obviously familiarity is key. Selflessness. He’s still doing his thing, but they’re continuing to do the things that they’ve done all season that have worked for them, which is playing primarily through Brown as the initiator and catalyst of everything, but you can see him growing in confidence with every game.”
Jon Krawczynski, who covers Minnesota for The Athletic, saw the Timberwolves grow more aware of Tatum’s limitations on both ends as Sunday’s game progressed. They challenged him physically and Julius Randle, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert combined to shoot 3-for-6 against him in the Wolves win.
Nevertheless, close friend and now long-time teammate Derrick White remained confident in Tatum’s early play and expressed few concerns about his early slump at practice on Tuesday. Tatum and White both spent extra time on the floor together after practice, Tatum battling physical defense from assistant coach Tony Dobbins, playing defense against shooters then running back on offense to shoot.
“He looks good,” White said. “For the first few games you’re just so excited, playing with a lot of adrenaline, and now it’s calmed down a little. I think he’s doing a lot of good things, I think obviously, he wants to make a couple more shots, but understands this’ll be a process, but he’s looking good out there, getting the looks he wants and you just gotta continue to trust that and stay with them.”
“It’s frustrating. You want to come back and instantly get back to yourself, but that’s not how the game works. He’s doing a good job of just every day being consistent. It’s the same thing as his rehab and recovery. There are good days and bad days in this game, and you gotta figure out different ways to figure it out.”
