Jayson Tatum on his shooting slump: “you put too much work in to doubt yourself”

Jayson Tatum has missed 20 threes in a row.

He missed his last three threes against the Chicago Bulls, went 0-for-4 against the New Orleans Pelicans, 0-for-7 against the Charlotte Hornets, and then 0-for-6 against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night.

The most recent loss to Portland was particularly bad, as the Boston Celtics gave up an 11-point lead late in the fourth quarter. They failed to record a single made field goal in the final 7:19 of game time, with their only points coming on five free throws.

“It hurts. It bothers you, as it should. But I mean, you can’t go back in time. Just get back in the gym, watch some film, learn from your mistakes, and try to improve on them. That’s literally all you can do.”

Going into their game vs. Portland, the Celtics had won five of their last seven games and were flirting with staying above .500. This loss put them right back under the mark, and they now sit at 10th in the Eastern Conference.

Tatum took the time to specifically comment on his shooting slump, too. This has been his worst shooting season by far from a statistical standpoint. Despite this, he still remains confident.

“Sometimes I watch film and see some things I could adjust. Over the course of 82 games, sometimes you just miss. But you put too much work in to doubt yourself. So, there’s always the next game.”

The two-time All-Star is shooting a measly 31.7 percent from behind the arc this season, nearly six percent worse than his previous career low (37.1 percent). Tatum also ranks ninth in the NBA for three-pointers attempted this season.

His struggles have spawned many theories as to what could be wrong. One of the most popular ones is simple - he’s tired. Tatum went from the bubble, into another season, then to the Olympics, and then back to another NBA season. However, when asked about this, he says he feels fine.

“I don’t think so. I’m no different than any of the other guys who went to The Finals last year, hopped on a plane, played in the Olympics, and then started the season. I mean, I guess it is a lot, but it only seems like that if you think about it in that way.”

In fact, Tatum took it a step further, stating that he wants to take every opportunity he gets to play the game that he loves.

“I get paid to play basketball. It’s been my dream since I was three years old. So, I’m going to play as often as I can for as long as I can.”

The Celtics are 4-10 this season when Tatum shoots below 20 percent from three. On the flip side, they are 12-6 when he shoots above 35 percent. If Boston wants to turn their season around, Tatum breaking out of his current slump would certainly help.