The Boston Celtics fell short against the New York Knicks once again and there are big questions being raised about Jayson Tatum.
A true NBA superstar, Jayson Tatum has already logged more than 70 career playoff wins. But he has not added to this tally in the playoff series with the New York Knicks.
The Knicks have soared into a 2-0 series lead with two victories at TD Garden, two comeback wins to leave the Boston Celtics stunned.
Jayson Tatum came in for some criticism after Game 1 for not taking over the game, and he struggled to impact in the 91-90 defeat in Game 2.
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty ImagesJayson Tatum health questioned
Jayson Tatum only managed to score 13 points in the Celtics Game 2 loss, despite playing 42 minutes.
While he grabbed 14 rebounds, Tatum was inefficient with his shooting. The numbers show a poor 5/19 from the field, scoring 1/5 from three.
.
Former New York Knicks player Wally Szczerbiak believes Jayson Tatum is still feeling an effect of an injury he sustained in Game 1 of the Celtics’ series with the Orlando Magic.
Tatum missed a playoff game for the first time in Game 2 of the Magic series, before returning to score at a high pace for the remaining games.
Szczerbiak said: “He looks lost, he looks hurt. I saw him take a fall on the fourth quarter, and he is like very scared to put his hand on the ground, you can tell the way he’s releasing the ball. It’s not a clean release.”
Kristaps Porzingis use questioned
If Tatum is not performing at a high level then it has an impact, with Jaylen Brown scoring 20, a solid yet unspectacular return.
Szczerbiak added: “The one thing about the Celtics when you dive down into their roster, they don’t really have a pure point guard, like a guy that at the end of the game like they trust.”
He also said he was confused at the usage of Kristaps Porzingis, who has played just 27 minutes combined in the series as he battles illness.
“I can’t believe Porzingis is not in the game at the end of games. Al Horford is great defensively, he’s a great veteran but what Porzingis brings, there’s an element, there’s going to be something going on with him why he’s not on the floor. When he’s out there he scares me.”