Tatum needs to step up...

[Roy H.]

Curry is eating his lunch in terms of the superstar department. 

Curry: 34.3 ppg / 6.3 rpg / 3.8 apg / 3.0 tpg / 50.0% FG% / 49.0% 3PT% / .633 eFG% / .664 TS%
Tatum: 22.3 ppg / 7.0 rpg / 7.8 apg / 3.5 tpg / 34.1% FG% / 45.2% 3PT% / .427 eFG% / .476 TS%

Obviously, Curry has gone absolutely nuclear.  But Tatum is in a weird stretch.  If somebody had told me that Tatum would be averaging 7.8 assists and shooting 45.2% on threes, I would think we would be on the verge of wrapping up the series.  Instead, we're facing a best of three, with Golden State having home court.

The giant issue?  No, not turnovers, although those have been pretty bad.  It's Tatum's shooting from inside the arc.  He's 14-for-51 on two-pointers for the series, 27.5%.    How does that happen?  Is it an injury?  Mental?  Elite Warriors interior defense?  Refs allowing way too much contact?

Whatever it is, JT needs to play much, much better.

[ozgod]

I wonder if his shoulder is bothering him. But he's shooting 45% from 3. I haven't checked NBA.com but I'm guessing a lot of those misses from 2 have been within 5 feet of the basket, either floaters or layups.

[Donoghus]

We sure could use that Tatum 45 point game tonight.  His answer to Steph in Game 4.  Just want to see him take control with the basketball and dominate.

[celticinorlando]

He sure needs to do something. I’d start with finishing at the rim and not turning it over.

[slamtheking]

Tatum's play has not been near the level of someone voted first team all NBA.  not even close.  if the C's are to win the title, Tatum needs to drastically cut his TOs and needs to dramatically improve his finishing around the rim.  not sure what's up with that shoulder but with him still grabbing at it after all this time, I highly doubt it was really just a stinger. 

[Yuckabuck33]

I'd start with him picking his head up on drives. He puts his head down and doesn't exactly know where the rim is. I thought he had finally conquered this during the Spring dominance, but he did it so many times in game 4 I was screaming at my TV.

[Roy H.]

He sure needs to do something. I’d start with finishing at the rim and not turning it over.

I figured that most of his misses were at the rim, too, but that's generally not the case.  He's just been absolutely terrible in the paint and from mid-range.

Breaking it down by zone, Tatum is shooting:

50% in the restricted area (3.5 attempts per game)

25% in the paint (non-restricted) (5.0 attempts per game)

11.8% mid-range (4.3 attempts per game)

0.0% corner threes (0.5 attempts per game)

48.3% above the break threes (7.3 attempts per game)

https://www.nba.com/stats/players/shooting/?Season=2021-22&SeasonType=Playoffs&TeamID=1610612738&PORound=4&DistanceRange=By%20Zone

Derrick White is struggling similarly:  only 23.1% shooting in the paint and 33% in the restricted area.

[celticinorlando]

He sure needs to do something. I’d start with finishing at the rim and not turning it over.

I figured that most of his misses were at the rim, too, but that's generally not the case.  He's just been absolutely terrible in the paint and from mid-range.

Breaking it down by zone, Tatum is shooting:

50% in the restricted area (3.5 attempts per game)

25% in the paint (non-restricted) (5.0 attempts per game)

11.8% mid-range (4.3 attempts per game)

0.0% corner threes (0.5 attempts per game)

48.3% above the break threes (7.3 attempts per game)

https://www.nba.com/stats/players/shooting/?Season=2021-22&SeasonType=Playoffs&TeamID=1610612738&PORound=4&DistanceRange=By%20Zone

Derrick White is struggling similarly:  only 23.1% shooting in the paint and 33% in the restricted area.

Think making some of those at the rim early would help his confidence. Seems he is just hunting for fouls on those types of shots instead of playing through it. Midrange is ugly.

[Goldstar88]

He sure needs to do something. I’d start with finishing at the rim and not turning it over.

Tatum needs to do a better job scoring in the paint with less TO’s, but to say he needs to do something? He had 23pts, 11rebs, 6ast and 3blks last game…

[celticinorlando]

He sure needs to do something. I’d start with finishing at the rim and not turning it over.

Tatum needs to do a better job scoring in the paint with less TO’s, but to say he needs to do something? He had 23pts, 11rebs, 6ast and 3blks last game…

He also disappeared in crunch time in the 4th quarter. He has to take over.

[td450]

He sure needs to do something. I’d start with finishing at the rim and not turning it over.

Tatum needs to do a better job scoring in the paint with less TO’s, but to say he needs to do something? He had 23pts, 11rebs, 6ast and 3blks last game…

He also disappeared in crunch time in the 4th quarter. He has to take over.

This is exactly the wrong thing for him to do.

He needs to keep the ball moving, as does Smart. His teammates want to get the ball back to him and he will get better shots. He also needs to make better reads on his drives and sometimes that means a 10 footer instead of piling into a crowd.

We need movement, not hero ball. That is what took Tatum and the team to the next level.

[RockinRyA]

His results are better when he makes his move quicker. Going way out of the three point line to iso guys gives them a chance to read your moves, get their feet set and the help also gets prepared. When he makes a move right after getting the ball the results are better.

[celticinorlando]

He sure needs to do something. I’d start with finishing at the rim and not turning it over.

Tatum needs to do a better job scoring in the paint with less TO’s, but to say he needs to do something? He had 23pts, 11rebs, 6ast and 3blks last game…

He also disappeared in crunch time in the 4th quarter. He has to take over.

This is exactly the wrong thing for him to do.

He needs to keep the ball moving, as does Smart. His teammates want to get the ball back to him and he will get better shots. He also needs to make better reads on his drives and sometimes that means a 10 footer instead of piling into a crowd.

We need movement, not hero ball. That is what took Tatum and the team to the next level.

He can take over by being a distributor. But he has to present.

[td450]

He sure needs to do something. I’d start with finishing at the rim and not turning it over.

Tatum needs to do a better job scoring in the paint with less TO’s, but to say he needs to do something? He had 23pts, 11rebs, 6ast and 3blks last game…

Tatum is the #1 offensive ball handler. He also takes the most shots. Win or lose, his numbers will pile up.

If he has numbers like that and the team offense is moving, then that's OK.

But if he eats up the clock, stagnates the offense and gets those assists on bail out shots from Smart, White and Brown, and if Horford, Grant Williams and Robert Williams take just 11 shots between them, then he's got to play differently.

[Phantom255x]

He's been missing a ton of layups and easy bunnies which is infuriating. If he simply hit those in addition to everything else he'd easily be averaging 28+ PPG. There's still time but it's got to happen soon.

Anyone remember that scene in Batman Begins where Alfred tells Bruce, "what was the point of all those pushups if you can't even lift a bloody log". Likewise, if you're Tatum why build all that muscle and get stronger if you're only going to hunt for fouls and flail your arms near the rim constantly. Just go up strong, aggressive, and ATTACK. Enough about the refs, just focus on making the shot. It's even more infuriating when he's doing it against their guards. Tatum should easily be dominating their smaller guards on offense

I'm glad Ime called him out on it after Game 4.

Also, there's been moments Curry has been screwed on foul calls this series too. But he still puts his head down and performs. Tatum needs to do the same