Jayson Tatum Shakes Off Historically Bad Shooting Night With Late-Night Trip To Gym
BOSTON (CBS) -- Jayson Tatum had a historically bad shooting night in Boston's 116-106 win over the Mavericks on Monday. Just one of the 18 shots that the C's forward put up went through the hoop.
You read that right: Tatum shot just 1-for-18 on Monday night. He is just the third player in the last 40 years of NBA basketball to shoot the ball 18 times and make only one of those attempts.
It seemed like no matter what he tried, Tatum's shot just wasn't going to fall against the Mavs. One attempt from 10 feet hit off the rim five times. Another hit off the side of the backboard.
While his shots were errant, Tatum did contribute elsewhere during his 35 minutes on the floor, pulling down eight rebounds and dishing out four assists. He was pretty flustered by his lack of offense after the game, finishing with just five points, but he's not going to let an off night get to him.
"Sometimes, 1-for-18, you just got to laugh, laugh it off," he said after the game. "We won. So that's the positive. I mean, a couple of times where it bounced six times, I was like [expletive], you got to keep playing. In the end, all that matters is if you win. Eight in a row, so we just keep winning."
Still, for a player whose success is predicated on his ability to put up points, a 1-for-18 night isn't going to cut it. Shooters shoot, and that's exactly what Tatum did as Monday came to an end and Tuesday arrived. The 21-year-old put up more shots shortly after the game, hitting the Auerbach Center in Brighton for some late-night practice.
"Gotta be able to laugh at ya self sometime!" Tatum captioned his post. "Glad we won! on to next."
No word on how many Tatum made -- or missed -- in that midnight session, but no one on the Celtics sounded particularly concerned about his off night.
"Just one of those nights," said head coach Brad Stevens. "I guess that means a lot of good nights are coming. I don't lose sleep over missed shots."
