After an offseason training regimen with Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum developed a sudden affinity for midrange shots.
… Well, that may not be exactly what happened but it’s certainly curious that Tatum’s rise in midrange attempts coincided with his workout with Kobe.
Over the course of his 20-year career, the Black Mamba took 17.0 percent of his field goal attempts from 10-16 feet away from the rim, and never took fewer than 12.4 percent from that range.
From his rookie to sophomore season, Tatum increased his shot attempts from 10-16 feet away of the rim significantly, taking 9.6 percent of his shots from that range as a rookie and 13.7 percent of his shots from that range in his second season.
According to Tatum’s trainer Drew Hanlen (per the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach), one of the primary reasons for Tatum settling for tough, contested midrange shots was his inability to re-center for sidestep, stepback or off-the dribble three-point attempts:
“I think last year the biggest thing was he settled too much. When he felt contact he would sidestep, step away, and sort of fade away, which he’s capable of making but also are not high-percentage shots, and they don’t cause fouls. It’s just about being a little bit smarter on the way he attacks.”
As a result, Hanlen and Tatum have “been doing a lot where he’s just not allowed to shoot midrange shots.”
“So it forces him to do it,” Hanlen says, “and he’s starting to kind of realize when he settles for the jump shot and when he should get downhill. He’s seen it on film and now we’re forcing him to do it by taking away the midrange, and then it’s just about making the right decision.”
Learning what shot is the best shot comes with film study, on-court experience and it’s indeed situational. As Hanlen says, “Sometimes the midrange is the best shot, sometimes the three is the best shot, and sometimes the rim.”
Next season will be Tatum’s litmus test, with his shot-selection likely the determining factor in whether he’s made it into the upper echelon of the NBA. Hanlen, who also helps train NBA stars Bradley Beal and Joel Embiid, was wise to advise Tatum to minimize his midrange attempts.
*All stats gathered from Basketball Reference
