Joe Mazzulla encourages Jayson Tatum to keep on shooting after poor showing from field
There is no doubt that the Boston Celtics are now Jayson Tatum‘s team. With Jaylen Brown now plying his talents for the Philadelphia 76ers, more will be on the Tatum’s plate as Joe Mazzulla’s team tries to navigate an extremely difficult Eastern Conference.
Opening day provided an early test against the Detroit Pistons, who secured the conference’s No. 1 seed last season and promise to once again be competitive. For most of the contest it looked like Boston would cruise to a season-opening victory, but a fourth quarter meltdown opened the door for a Detroit comeback and the Celtics are now 0-1.
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Tatum’s poor shooting display
It’s just one of 82 regular season games so sane minds understand there’s no reason to panic. Even about the lackluster showing from Tatum that saw him go 6-for-23 from the field and miss all seven of his three-point attempts.
Joe Mazzulla on what he wants to see from Jayson Tatum if his shot is not falling: “I just want him to continue to make the right play. If he’s open, shoot it. I don’t care if he’s 0 for 10. If you’re open shoot it.” – @CLNSMedia https://t.co/a0mMuv4nTC
— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) October 20, 2026
“I just want him to continue to make the right play,” Mazzulla said of Tatum. “If he’s open, shoot it. I don’t care if he’s 0 for 10. If you’re open shoot it,” Mazzulla added.
Sep 28, 2026; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla talks to reporters during media day at Auerbach Center. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
To his credit, Tatum did make a lot of smart basketball plays in the loss and he dished out 11 assists. Paul George shined in his first outing in the green and white, posting 38 points. It will be fascinating what the Boston offense morphs into over time with PG13 serving as Robin to Tatum’s Batman. There is no such thing as a moral victory but Celtics fans have to be encouraged that the old face in a new space showed that he can still go off and carrying the scoring load.
All eyes will be on every move Tatum makes as people attempt to glean if there’s any rust from the prolonged injury rehab. His next opportunity to shoot when he’s open will come Friday night in another marquee matchup against the New York Knicks.
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Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.