BOSTON — Jayson Tatum hasn’t just surprised others with how well he has played since returning in March. He has even surprised himself at times, as he acknowledged Friday morning before a Celtics practice.
“The short answer would be, yes,” Tatum said.
The longer answer? No matter how much his perspective shifted when he tore his Achilles tendon last May, Tatum still wants more. As much as he accomplished during the final month of the regular season, it still bothered him that he didn’t always feel normal on the court. He doesn’t necessarily want to be a surprise. He wants to be himself.
“With that (short answer of yes),” Tatum said, “there’s a quick turnover of, obviously, you want more.”
More? The Celtics went 13-3 with Tatum in the lineup during the regular season. They smoked opponents by 10.5 points per 100 possessions with him on the court. Despite dealing with a minutes restriction in most of his 16 games played, he averaged 21.8 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. His numbers later in the regular season were even better. He wasted no time reaching an All-Star level again. So far, Tatum’s return has been an incredible story.
“I didn’t even know if I was going to play this year,” Tatum said, “so I get the opportunity to be a part of the team and play in the playoffs. I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Still, Tatum wants more. He said it can be “frustrating at times” to feel like he’s still not 100 percent himself. In the playoffs, when each game carries more weight, that feeling would presumably be heightened. As Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla might point out, nobody will care during the postseason how inspirational Tatum’s recovery has been. Opponents won’t care about it, at least. If Tatum has any limitations, the other side will aim to expose them. If he wears down late in a series, the other side will look to take advantage. Opposing coaching staffs will pore through the film to see where he is most susceptible right now. Teams will test how much physicality he can handle.
Though Tatum answered many questions about his post-injury form during the regular season, more challenges will arise throughout the playoffs.
“I’m excited,” Tatum said. “My perspective has changed these last 48 weeks (since the injury). I remember when I got injured, there was a lot of uncertainty. The playoffs wasn’t a sure thing. And now that I get that opportunity, couldn’t be more happy.”
The Philadelphia 76ers will get the first crack at Tatum and the Celtics in a first-round series scheduled to begin Sunday. Joel Embiid (appendix) has already been ruled out of Game 1, but Boston will still need to deal with Tyrese Maxey. Mazzulla emphasized that the speedy All-Star is capable of getting wherever he wants on the court and will put pressure on the Celtics with his skill in transition and his ability to get to the free-throw line.
“You could look up at a box score, and he can have 40 points, and half of those could be in transition or at the free-throw line,” Mazzulla said. “So he tests your discipline to be able to defend him. Not only in transition trying to keep him off the free-throw line, but also he can score at all three levels. He can get layups, he can shoot pull-up 2s, and he can create separation on 3s. So we have to be disciplined in what we’re taking away and what we’re willing to live with, and we’ve got to be great at the things we can control. And then we need elite individual defense throughout games, which our guys are capable of.”
The 76ers have other threats around Maxey, including Paul George, V.J. Edgecombe and Kelly Oubre Jr. Without Embiid, they play at a faster pace. They also hit the offensive glass harder, as evidenced by their 31.9 percent offensive rebound rate with the star big man on the bench. That would have ranked eighth in the league over the course of the full season. When Andre Drummond is in the lineup, the 76ers track down even more of their own misses. Drummond averaged about 27 minutes per game over the final three contests of the regular season before playing 31 minutes during a play-in game win against the Orlando Magic.
“I think they’re continuing to develop their identity of having their guys back,” Mazzulla said. “You’re seeing Paul George at his best, Maxey at his best. With those guys out throughout the season, they’ve had their role players have been able to develop into big-time roles, with the way Oubre is playing, Drummond has been playing, (Adem) Bona has gotten better and better, (Quentin) Grimes off the bench. So I think they’re a very, very well-balanced team. I think they’re playing some of their best basketball as they get healthier and healthier, and obviously they’re well coached.”
Regardless of the opponent, Tatum would have been thrilled to start the playoffs. He carried a basketball in his hands throughout his press conference, as if he couldn’t wait to step onto the court as soon as he was done. He said he has a heightened sense of gratitude now after experiencing the first significant injury of his career. Though he still can get frustrated on the court, he has a newfound perspective these days.
“You’ve got to just take a step back and be proud of the fact of what you were able to accomplish (by) just coming back,” Tatum said. “And then everything on top of that has been icing on the cake.”
Even if this is all icing on the cake, he wants more of it.
