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Saturday night marked Jayson Tatum’s fourth game back since returning from a ruptured right Achilles tendon. His transition from five-on-five team scrimmages to rejoining the Boston Celtics’ starting lineup was swift, and coach Joe Mazzulla hopes that doesn’t get taken for granted.
Coming back from a nearly 10-month recovery isn’t something that produces immediate results like those Tatum provided before surgery. Yet, Mazzulla already sees the impact Tatum is having.
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“I think sometimes these guys get judged by just the points, and some of that is their responsibility,” Mazzulla told reporters, per CLNS Media.
Tatum played 32 minutes in Saturday’s 111-100 win over the Washington Wizards — his most since coming back. He got off to a slow start, missing his first five shots, including three layups. He went into halftime having shot only 2-of-8 with eight points, before finishing with 20 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. The scoring was modest by his standards, but as Mazzulla pointed out, focusing only on points does a disservice to all the other ways Tatum has helped the Celtics.
“He’s rebounding, he’s boxing out, he’s making the right play, getting to space, and doing all the things that impact winning,” Mazzulla told reporters. “So I think that’s more important than anything else.”
More than half of Tatum’s assists went to center Neemias Queta. Using the attention he drew from Washington’s defense, Tatum helped fuel Queta’s career-best first-half start. Queta scored 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting by halftime to keep pressure on the Wizards, courtesy of Tatum’s playmaking.
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“He’s giving the game exactly what it needs,” Mazzulla added.
The missed layups, which kept Tatum from finishing with 28 points instead of 20, are typical for a player returning from an injury of his severity. It’s been almost a year since he last played NBA basketball, which is vastly different from drills or five-on-five scrimmages.
But little by little, as he logs more minutes, Tatum feels his comfort returning.
“Compared to the first game, I feel a lot…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/joe-mazzulla-doesn-t-want-091700575.html
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Publish date : 2026-03-15 09:17:00
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