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Should Mazzulla increase Tatum’s usage rate?



I get Tatum has been trying to get his team involved and play within the flow of the offense. Just wanted to bring this up for discussion since I noticed his usage rate has been down around 4% these playoffs compared to the regular season (Down to 26 from 30).

While some of his shooting woes have been missed shots, another part of me believes it may be down to rhythm and flow. Yes, he’s seeing multiple bodies and making the right play/pass most of the time but a part of me can’t help but notice how there isn’t much offense dedicated to opening him up. He gets “mismatches” but I truly believe Mazzulla should run more offensive schemes that look to give him easy baskets and put him in a position to score more effectively.

What do you guys think?

by OkAmount2303

11 Comments

  1. I agree – things like the very first action they ran on offense last night would be great to implement more often. It’s important to get him easier buckets that he doesn’t have to get by taking a 1-1 in isolation.

  2. Yes he’s been standing around the arc while someone takes contested 30 footers

  3. DeucesWild10

    Yes, 100%. White had an otherworldly game one but that was the exception. Celtics can’t rely on the 3rd and 4th options, which is who JT is sacrificing shots to. I’d feed JT until he is smothered so hard that other guys can then have much easier scoring chances. They fed him early, which worked, and then went away from it for almost no reason.

    And they all need to stop taking quick transition 3s where there is zero chance for offensive rebounds. It’s not necessary and is a very low % possession

  4. No_House9929

    This team is too well rounded to be forcing a high usage rate on one player. Feed the hot hand, don’t ice out DWhite and Brown just to try to get Tatum “in rhythm”. If winning a championship means relegating tatum to corner three shooting duties then so be it. He’s shown almost no ability to score off of mismatches so far these playoffs and at this point the team might just implode if they have to watch him destroy the backboard with thirty FGAs in a single game

  5. PopLegion

    Tatum should increase his putting the ball in the hoop rate

  6. BradWonder

    Without KP, we should be spamming the two-man action with Jayson and Derrick

  7. I’ve seen Tatum stand in the corner and do nothing too many times this playoffs literally no other star does that as often as he does. I don’t know if it’s a Tatum thing or a coach thing but it seriously needs to stop. What happened to the high screens he was getting to open up drives or get open 3s?

  8. I think since Joe has been here Tatum’s individual game has gone backwards. Under Ime and Brad Tatum was always good for taking over a game and being fed because he was the hot hand.

    With Joe it seems like Tatum gets a quarter and a half to cook at the most. Sometimes you see 5mins of game time pass with Tatum cosplaying as a role player.

    I feel like because his usage has reduced he’s not used to taking over games anymore when the time calls for it unless it’s against the bottom teams where it’s easier to flip the switch.

  9. 2kballislife

    Joe doesn’t know how to put his best player in the best position to score. It took him a day and a half to draw up one play to start yesterday’s game. Lol

  10. schoolboypoop

    Not if he’s just gonna throw up shit 3s on Joe’s command. He needs to have a plan if he’s gonna put it in his hands more.

  11. Well what Tatum does best is score. It’s cool to see him play selfless for everyone else but it’d be better for the team if he plays to his strengths. Go out there and drop another 40-50 like last year on the sixers lmao

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