The Boston Celtics are having a frustrating season, to say the least, but Danny Ainge isn’t putting any worry into Jayson Tatum’s struggles.
Tatum is averaging 25.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 26 games. And while he certainly could improve, constant injuries, illnesses and the bench failing to come up big also have led to Boston’s issues.
The Celtics dropped their third straight road game Wednesday night in a 114-111 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Tatum’s game-high 29 points couldn’t push his team back in the win column, and Ainge knows the concern needs to be elsewhere and not on the forward.
“Jayson has had his ups and downs but we know what a great player he is. And I’m not worried,” the former Celtics president of operations told NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg. “People say, ‘Oh, Jayson’s struggling,’ but that’s the least of every worry, at least in my mind, about the Boston Celtics. He is going to figure it out. And the question is can the rest of the guys step up and play their roles and take some of the burden off of him?”
That answer to that question remains to be seen, but the bench and the “rest of the guys” can try to get back on track Friday night as Boston continues its West Coast swing with a game against the Phoenix Suns. Tip-off is set for 10 p.m. ET.
