Tatum’s trainer details how Celtics star fixed his shot post-Olympics

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Tatum’s trainer details how Celtics star fixed his shot post-Olympics originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Jayson Tatum was an absolute force in the 2024 NBA playoffs, leading the Boston Celtics in points (25.0), rebounds (9.7) and assists (6.3) per game as they steamrolled to an 18th championship.

Not bad for a player fighting through a shooting slump.

Despite his gaudy all-around numbers, Tatum shot just 42.7 percent from the floor and 28.3 percent from 3-point range over 19 playoff games. So, what exactly was wrong with Tatum’s shot, and how was he eventually able to fix it?

Tatum’s trainer and shooting coach Drew Hanlen — who also works with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and other NBA stars — joined NBC Sports Boston’s Kayla Burton on a new episode of Hoopin’ to share a behind-the-scenes perspective on Tatum’s shot.

As Hanlen explained to Burton, Tatum actually struggled with his shot early in the 2023-24 season before making an adjustment in late December that sparked an immediate turnaround. (Tatum made 40.4 percent of his 3-pointers in January 2024 after shooting 32.4 percent beyond the arc in December 2023.)

“Early in the year, he actually had started in a shooting slump,” Hanlen said. “Around Christmas time, we had made a tweak when he came out to L.A. to play the Clippers and Lakers, then he went on a heater, was knocking down shots like crazy. And then for whatever reason, that slump reemerged during the playoffs.”

Hanlen was tempted to tweak Tatum’s shot again early in the postseason, but as the wins piled up and Tatum flirted with triple-doubles anyway, Hanlen decided against it.

“The problem was — or maybe it was a good thing — he was dominating every other aspect of the game, including mid-range shots and free throws at a high rate,” Hanlen said. “So, what we didn’t want to do is make a tweak or a change that could mess with him mentally and (impact) his confidence.”

That decision obviously paid off, as Tatum still made a massive impact on both ends of the floor to help the Celtics win Banner 18. But after the 2024 Paris Olympics — where Tatum’s lack of playing…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/tatums-trainer-details-celtics-star-122625577.html

Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2025-02-21 12:26:00

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