5 things Jayson Tatum should do against Mavericks to overcome 2022 NBA Finals struggles

No. 3 - Finish strong at the rim

Jayson Tatum played through a wrist injury in the series against the Golden State Warriors, a big reason he regularly missed shots near the rim. He isn’t dealing with any of that when the Celtics take on the Mavericks. There will be no reason why he can’t be forceful and make shots with defenders around him.

Dallas’ interior defense led by Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II and PJ Washington will be tough to deal with. The trio gave Paul George, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards all sorts of trouble when attacking the rim. Tatum will have to be ready to face the same challenge and show some muscle when he gets into the paint.

No. 2 - Attack mismatches

There will be instances when Dallas’ defense will be compromised. If that happens, Jayson Tatum has to take advantage of what is in front of him. He could either bust out his silky smooth jumper, drive into the lane, or set up teammates. Whenever he gets a favorable matchup, he has to seize it.

In 2022, Tatum couldn’t maximize his advantages when guarded by Steph Curry, Nemanja Bjelica or Otto Porter Jr. He sometimes settled for long jumpers when guarded by Jordan Poole. Boston’s superstar can’t play that way versus Dallas. Tatum only needs to look at his adversary Luka Doncic who punishes mismatches with relish.

No. 1 - Keep turnovers down

In 2022, Jayson Tatum committed 100 turnovers during the playoffs, the most in one postseason run. The Boston Celtics repeatedly shot themselves in the foot with those miscues, some of them unforced ones. If Tatum can limit it to around three per game, he will be taking a big step towards avoiding a repeat of the said finals loss to the Warriors.

Every possession in the NBA Finals will be crucial. They can't allow the Dallas Mavericks extra time on the ball with turnovers. Luka Doncic will make them pay for it.