Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum is in one of the worst outside shooting slumps of his career.
He's missed 20 consecutive 3-point shots. The C's forward is 3-of-29 on attempts from beyond the arc over the last five games, and he's shooting 24.3 percent on 3-pointers in 10 January games.
The Celtics lost another fourth-quarter lead Friday night in a 109-105 defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers at TD Garden.
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Tatum played pretty well, scoring 27 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists. He was 0-of-6 from 3-point range, though, including a miss in the final 10 seconds.
Forsberg: What's wrong with Tatum's shot, and can fixing it save the C's?
What is Tatum's reaction to his shooting woes?
“Just find other ways to be effective on the court," Tatum said in his postgame press conference. "Don't stop shooting, but if something isn't working at the time, still find a way to impact the game."
He later added: "Throughout the course of the season there are times I watch film and see some things I could adjust," Tatum said. "Over the course of 82 games, sometimes you just miss, but you put in too much work to doubt yourself. There's always the next game."
Despite his recent shooting struggles, Tatum is confident he'll overcome this rough patch and turn the corner.
"I know for myself, and I guess the other guys who aren’t shooting as well (around the league), it’s not going to change how people guard us," Tatum said. "They know what myself is capable of and it’s just a matter of getting out of it. And I will, and we’ll be able to talk about something else."
Boston Celtics
There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about Tatum improving his 3-point accuracy. He's a 38 percent 3-point shooter for his career despite his 31 percent rate this season. He's connected on 40-plus percent of his shots from beyond the arc twice in his career. He's also missing a lot of open 3-point shots, and those will eventually start to fall given his talent.
Tatum and the Celtics will be back in action Sunday afternoon when they play the the Washington Wizards on the road.