The Boston Celtics have been on something of a tear since starting the season ugly with a bunch of winnable, close losses that took the air out of the sails of the start of the Ime Udoka era for some time.
In recent weeks, the level of play on both ends has improved. A significant factor — if not the primary factor — in the Celtics winning eight of their last 11 games has been the improved play and increased efficiency of star forward Jayson Tatum. Speaking with the press after Boston’s 108-90 win over the Houston Rockets on Monday, coach Udoka was asked what he thought was the biggest difference he’s seeing from Tatum.
“The shots that he was getting, he’s knocking them down now,” explained the Celtics coach.
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“He’s being extra aggressive,” explained Udoka.
“I think (he’s) attacking the basket a little bit more, again, more free throws that happened over the last few games, but still doing what he did early getting the same shots that he was missing that we knew would flip eventually, but he’s also finding guys passing the ball extremely well. So, very well-rounded games in general.”
“The scoring is there because of the made shots, but we never overreacted to that in the first place,” added the Portland native.
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While it seems the St. Louis native’s teammate, Jaylen Brown, isn’t entirely recovered from his strained hamstring, that he was able to help shoulder the offensive load bodes well for the future of this team.
And with Robert Williams III also back in the fold, the best of Tatum’s 2021-22 season play is almost certainly yet to come as the former Duke player continues to round into form.
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