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Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics reacts after making a three-point shot against the San Antonio Spurs in the second half at Frost Bank Center on March 10, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas.
The Boston Celtics lost to a shorthanded Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, just a few nights after nearly losing to the lottery-bound Memphis Grizzlies. Some analysts, including Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady, have blamed Jayson Tatum’s return for Boston’s struggles and the team’s lack of offensive cohesion.
“I don’t want to say it seems out of whack, but their shooting has gone down since he’s [Tatum] been here,” McGrady told “NBA on NBC” after Sunday’s 102-92 loss.
“It’s really like ‘guys, what are we doing here? Are we running the same stuff that we ran before? Are we still on the same page? Or are we divided because we’re not playing our same game?’ I’m sure that there’s a lot mentally that these guys are going through because of the insertion of JT, and them not playing the same type of basketball that they played individually — not shooting the ball very well.”
McGrady continued.
“They struggled against Memphis the other night, and they struggled tonight against a team [Timberwolves] that didn’t have its best player [Anthony Edwards].
“I’m sure there are some questions these guys have to answer.”
Celtics Since Jayson Tatum Return
There is some credence to the notion that the Celtics offense has struggled since Tatum’s return earlier this month.
Since Tatum’s return on March 6, the Celtics have gone 5-3 in eight games with an offensive rating of 115.1. They’ve averaged 111.9 points and 24.3 assists, while outscoring opponents by 6.1 points.
Prior to Tatum’s return, the C’s went 42-20 with an offensive rating of 119.9. They averaged 114.5 points and 24.4 assists, while outscoring teams by 7.3 points.
Jayson Tatum ‘Frustrated’ With Struggles
Tatum, averaging 19.1 points on 38/29/85 shooting splits, admitted after Sunday’s loss that it’s “frustrating” with his ongoing struggles and is eager to regain his rhythm.
“It’s tough in the moment, right? You try not to think about it. You just want to be Jayson Tatum and feel like yourself again,” Tatum said, via BasketNews.
“I’m not Superman, so it’s obviously gonna take some time. I think the next day, I can give myself a little more grace over certain things, but in the moment, it’s frustrating.”
Tatum, though, expressed confidence that he would hit his desired rhythm before the upcoming playoffs, less than a year after his Achilles injury.
“Just taking it day by day. I mean, I have probably the worst injury you could have, and I came back in 10 months and am getting better, just a better feel each game. I wanted to be perfect, first-team All-NBA Jayson like that, but it’s going to take time.
“I didn’t rush the rehab process, so I can’t rush this. It’s all going to work out.”
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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