Jayson Tatum wasn’t exactly looking forward to stepping foot on the floor of Madison Square Garden Thursday night.
And why would he?
333 days ago, he suffered the most traumatic injury of his basketball-playing career on the same night he delivered one of his finest playoff performances.
“I thought about it. I’m not, like, thrilled to go back and play there,” Tatum told media members on Wednesday. “Last time I played there, obviously, it was a traumatic experience for me. Obviously, I knew, at some
point, I would have to get over that hurdle and play there again.”
Jayson has quickly picked up momentum in his return, inching closer and closer to the mighty form he displayed a season ago. And in his nationally-broadcast return to New York, it was one of his more up-and-down performances, the good coming from excellent contributions on the glass (13 rebounds) and composed decision-making in his playmaking (8 assists and 17 potential assists, both team highs), and the bad sprouting from an off-shooting night (7-of-22 FG) and a high turnover rate (6 giveaways).
JT’s ball movement was a positive in a game where he was asked to quarterback the bulk of the offense’s possessions. The potential assist isn’t exactly a figure most look to for positive affirmation of a player’s game-to-game passing, but you watch the shots he was able to create for others, and it brings back into focus his knack for finding kickouts from a variety of paint-attacking angles that either lead to an open look directly, or force rotations to generate a quality shot attempt.
With that being said, five of Tatum’s six turnovers came off bad passes, adding another layer to an overall mixed performance.
On the topic of his scoring, the Knicks did well in keeping Tatum stationed outside the 3-point line as a shooter, moving their drop coverage closer to the level while battling hard around screens. Tatum often feasted on the drop coverage of last year’s Knicks, snaking through the line of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson to reach a practically vacant paint.
With Jaylen Brown sidelined, they could afford to prioritize that level of attention Tatum’s way, and it ultimately paid off.
That paint continues to be occupied by wings and guards when the Celtics pull their bigs up into actions at the top of the arc, but we saw more settling from deep on Tatum’s part, particularly when he got a switch onto Robinson, settling for three above the break threes with the paint helplessly guarded by the likes of Mikal Bridges, Landry Shamet and OG Anunoby.
Did Jayson exorcise his MSG demons? Yes and no. Simply playing the game is a feat in and of itself. We knew going in what this game meant to his return. Does it hold the same weight as his season debut? No, but it was always going to be part of his story all the same.
Yet, the end result was another heartbreak in the clutch, harking back to a playoff exit we’d soon rather forget, but will inevitably be reminded of as the defining narrative focal point of a possible second round rematch.
Tatum says he felt the complex emotions associated with a return to that familiar New York hardwood: Nervousness, anxiousness, discomfort.
But that’s how you’re supposed to feel. It’s not supposed to be an easy return, or even a comfortable one, not in the way the last appearance ended. Being uncomfortable is okay because at the end of the day, that’s where growth happens.
“Today was important for me, especially when I made the decision to come back and then made the decision to play today. I’m glad I did,” Tatum said. “I feel a lot better today, even after the loss.”
