Jayson Tatum's peculiar offseason adjustment proves profitable for the Celtics, prepping them for matchup against the Knicks.
Jayson Tatum's Game-Changing Makeover
A tad of tweak, that's all he needed.
For Jayson Tatum and his legendary jumper, a minor adjustment made all the difference.
The star Boston Celtics forward shook things up in the offseason following a rough performance in the 2025 NBA Finals and a scant appearance on Team USA's journey to Olympic gold.
The slight modification in his jumper was instantly apparent during the Celtics' preseason face-off against the Denver Nuggets in October, far back in Abu Dhabi.
Granted, the small sample size wasn't much to go on at the time, but the initial results on Tatum's jumper and his struggles from the Olympics and during the postseason seemed to be miles away from haunting him anymore.
Matt Moore, a renowned NBA writer for Action Network, chimed in on Twitter, saying, "Tatum's jumper looking cleaner is a little tiny thing from preseason that I think you can take note of."
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Fast-forward to May, and it's undeniably evident that the adjustment has paid off for Tatum.
The six-time All-Star concluded the regular season averaging 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 6 assists, shooting 45.2% from the field.
He's well on his way to his fourth All-NBA team and leads the Celtics into the second round as heavy favorites against Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks.
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The Celtics seem poised to secure their second consecutive NBA championship, something that hasn't happened since Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and the Golden State Warriors did it in 2017-2018.
And it could all trace back to a slight tweak.
It wasn't that Tatum couldn't shoot; it was simply that he seemed to lose faith in his shot towards the end of the season and during the Olympics.
One might think a guy coming off an NBA championship and a gold medal wouldn't require much work, but that wasn't the case for Tatum.
At media day, Tatum opened up about what he focused on in the offseason.
"Been working with my trainer Drew (Hanlen) a lot, recently in the last few weeks," Tatum shared. "Pick-up points, hand placement, getting lower, keeping my shoulders forward, and things like that."
The good news for Boston Celtics fans and bad news for the rest of the league is that it looks like Tatum has ironed out whatever was bugging him last season, and he's still working to improve.
"Overall, I can still get better," Tatum said in a September interview with NBC Sports Boston. "You haven't seen the best version of Jayson Tatum. And you shouldn't...I should continue to keep getting better."
That's music to the ears of Celtics fans and potentially a headache for the rest of the league.
As it seems, it has come to fruition.
- Jayson Tatum's minor adjustment to his legendary jumper was a significant focus during the offseason.
- The slight adjustment in Tatum's jumper was evident during the Celtics' preseason game against the Denver Nuggets in Abu Dhabi.
- NBA writer Matt Moore noted the cleaner appearance of Tatum's jumper and suggested it could be a notable development.
- The Celtics, led by the improved Jayson Tatum, are currently poised to secure their second consecutive NBA championship.
