Jayson Tatum is trying to follow a path that was sort of trod by Michael Jordan.
Not exactly — MJ didn’t tear his Achilles. He just played baseball.
But the theme remains. Tatum has rejoined the Celtics for the stretch run of the season, trying to rediscover his form after a long injury recovery.
In 1994-95, Jordan came back to the Chicago Bulls after his baseball sabbatical and had to get himself up to speed in the NBA again.
At least Tatum has his standard No. 0. That season, Jordan wore 45 for the Bulls.
“The thing it reminds me of, in a way, is the 45 Jordan year,” an Eastern Conference assistant coach told ESPN’s Tim Bontemps in a new article out on Wednesday. “He’s working his way back into shape midseason, getting up to speed, and we’ll see if he can.”
Jordan and the Bulls didn’t win a title that year. They didn’t even make the NBA Finals. The rhythm was all just a little bit too off-kilter to overcome.
The Celtics will certainly be heading into the postseason this year anticipating a chance at a championship, but it’s not a given, and Tatum still seems to be working through some rust.
Since his return, he’s averaging 19.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. The scoring and passing are both down from his career averages.
Most concerning, though, is his shooting. He’s at just 38.8% from the field and 29.3% from 3-point range.
His shot is looking even more like a slingshot and less like a jump shot than usual, with fans wondering if Tatum’s overall jumping ability is still limited just a bit coming off the injury.
Tatum has let it fly often since coming back, seemingly trying to make up for time lost and find his rhythm before the playoffs.
He hasn’t fully found it yet, though. The Celtics will hope it all comes around for Tatum soon, because having him replicate 45 Jordan would be less fun than him playing like 23 MJ.
