Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward didn't play well offensively against the Philadelphia 76ers Monday night. But that didn't matter, because Jayson Tatum picked up where left off last postseason.
Amidst the Boston Celtics' 105-87 season-opener win, Jayson Tatum scored the first offensive field goal for the Celtics and kept the reins from there. He finished the day with 23 points and nine rebounds.
Monday night also had some historical significance to it for Tatum. He became the youngest player in Celtics history to score 20+ points in a season opener. It also marked the sixth straight time Tatum had scored 20+ points against Philadelphia. The other five games took place last season during the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
"I'm a lot more sure about myself, confident, and just more relaxed," Tatum said during a postgame interview with TNT. "Last year I went through a lot of ups and downs, we did as a team. So, it's my second year and I knew what to expect. I was just ready to get back on the floor."
With the return of Hayward and Irving, both who missed time last year because of injury, the expectation was that the offense would be a little rusty as the team continued to find it's fluidity. When all was said-and-done both players combined for 6-of-26 for 17 points.
Luckily for them, Boston's lineup is stacked, so they could afford to have a slow night. The rest of the team was able to pick up the slack.
The Celtics needed Tatum to perform well on opening night. Hayward was going to be on a minutes restriction, which is why he played five minutes less than the rest of the starters (24).
Though Irving did indeed struggle shooting the ball (2-of-14 from the field) he was also passive at times, which is why he added seven assists to his seven points.
Since both All-Stars wouldn't be in prime form, Brad Stevens knew going into the game what the team needed from the second-year pro.
"We need (Tatum) to be great," Stevens said.
Boston will likely need a similar performance from Tatum in the coming weeks, as both Hayward and Irving look to get back in full form while they also try to gel with the remainder of the roster. Though there is plenty of talent on the team to pick up the slack when the offense struggles, Tatum showed once again in the team's first regular season game of the season that he isn't afraid to steal the show on a national stage.
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