Tuesday was a night to forget for Jayson Tatum and the Celtics.
Tatum exited Boston’s 22-point Game 2 loss to the Nets early in the second half at Barclays Center due to an eye injury. But little was going well for Tatum even before the injury, as he finished his abbreviated outing with only nine points on 3-of-12 shooting.
Fortunately for Tatum and the C’d, all signs point toward the two-time All-Star being available to play in Friday night’s Game 3 at TD Garden. At this point, the Celtics only will have a chance in this best-of-seven series if Tatum plays at an elite level on a game-by-game basis.
Tatum, of course, will need to take it upon himself to be aggressive early and often against Brooklyn. But as Marcus Smart explained after Tuesday’s loss, the Celtics’ supporting cast can aid Tatum in his attempt to bounce back.
“We need to get open for him,” Smart told reporters, per MassLive. “We’re running plays for him, we’re doing everything that we can to help him. But at the same time, Jayson has to continue to be able to adjust to the defense that he’s seeing out there. Like I said, we just gotta continue to get open for him. We gotta continue to get in his eyesight and JT got to continue to make the pass to us, even if we’re making or missing them. Eventually, shots will fall and it’ll open up a lot for him.”
Tatum never has experienced a first-round playoff exit at the NBA level. He’ll now need to put on his Superman cape in hopes of keeping that streak alive, and heeding Smart’s advice probably wouldn’t hurt either.
