Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has had a hard time performing better since recovering from coronavirus. His post COVID stats are noticeably down as he is still dealing with COVID aftereffects.
As a COVID aftereffect, Tatum has been getting fatigued faster in-game, but he has been improving gradually. In his last game against Portland Trail Blazers, Tatum played a dynamic role to lead the Celtics to a 116-115 win.
However, in the ten games Tatum played before ruled out due to COVID, he averaged 26.9 points on 47.4% shooting overall and 43.8% from the three-point range. In the 48 games he has played since returning, Tatum is averaging 24.2 points on 42.7% shooting overall and around 36% from the three-point range.
Although Tatum’s minutes have increased slightly from 34.6 to more than 36 minutes per game, Shaquille O’Neal is worried about Jayson’s records. “We know you have been affected by COVID; your record is not where we slash you would expect it to,” O’Neal conveyed.
Jayson Tatum steals the game from Blazers
The Blazers had a prodigious start in the first round and won the round by 38-33. However, the Celtics held a modest lead throughout the third and fourth quarters. And it was Jayson Tatum who twisted the show.
Tatum showed his magic with 32 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. But, Boston’s entire starting roster also contributed double figures.
According to Danny Ainge, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been made the scapegoats after the loss against the Hawks. Credit: Getty Images
Among all, Tatum was phenomenal, and he stole the game in the fourth quarter by scoring a step-back three-pointer over Blazers’ CJ McCollum.
Apart from last night’s game, the Celtics star has had a steady performance over the week. Tatum scored a career-high 53 last week, which earned him the NBA Players of the Week for Week 16 award.
Considering all the facts, it appears that Tatum has improved a lot since his return. And most likely, Tatum is getting his pace back, and he looked more like the typical version of Jayson Tatum.
