Jayson Tatum has been one of the premier scorers in the NBA for a while now. He's a great finisher at the rim and a solid jump shooter who can create shots at any time.
If there has been one kryptonite for the five-time All-Star, it's been an over-reliance on his pull-up 3s. Any Celtics fan can tell you that it can be a rollercoaster watching him take those shots.
The good news is that the ride is currently going up. After going more than a full season hitting under 30 percent of those shots, Tatum has been much better on those looks since around Christmas. And it's all thanks to a tiny tweak from his long-time skills trainer Drew Hanlen.
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Drew Hanlen's adjustment to Jayson Tatum's pull-up 3 form
Hanlen mentioned changing Tatum's shooting form around Christmas after noticing a flaw that was causing him to miss.
"His shot pocket was too high on his off dribble jumpers. We lowered it back to normal," Hanlen tweeted on X.
The difference in shot pocket is subtle enough that it's difficult to spot on video.
Despite how small that change was, the improvement since Hanlen's visit has been stark. Tatum has gone from a horrendous pull-up shooter to pretty solid on those attempts.
| Date | 3PM | 3PA | 3PT% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-Christmas | 1.7 | 5.8 | 29.6% |
| Post-Christmas | 2.2 | 6.0 | 37.3% |
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Jayson Tatum's pull-up 3 is vital to the Celtics' success
That improved percentage is important for the Celtics simply because Tatum relies on that shot so heavily. His 5.9 pull-up 3s per game are tied for the fifth-highest mark in the league.
Tatum's pull-up shooting has been a bellwether for the Celtics' success in games. He's shooting 22.0 percent on those shots in losses and 36.0 percent in wins.
The Celtics have also improved their offense as a whole since that change. Before Christmas, they were the No. 3 offense in the league. Since Hanlen's meeting, they are No. 1.
Tatum's accuracy on pull-up 3s has been all over the place throughout his career. After hitting 40.4 percent of them as his high water mark in the 2020 bubble season, his percentage has dropped every subsequent year. He hit on only 29.1 percent of them last season, much to the chagrin of Celtics fans who saw him repeatedly settling for it late in games.
Tatum can get to that look whenever he wants. If the adjustment in his form can get him back to that bubble level of shooting, then it will hugely impact how Boston does late in games. That shot could be their ticket to a championship.
