Is Jayson Tatum playing tonight against Charlotte Hornets? Latest on Boston Celtics star's status (Nov. 20)

The Boston Celtics (11-2) will face the Charlotte Hornets (3-9) on Monday (Nov.20). Joe Mazzulla's team will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back, having defeated the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday (Nov. 19) to secure their sixth straight win.

At the time of writing, Jayson Tatum is expected to participate in the game. The St. Louis native has been operating at an elite level to begin the season and is clearly the Celtics' best player. Boston's offense has undergone some significant changes over the summer.

President of Basketball Operations, Brad Stevens, acquired two additional stars, Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. The additions and new coaching staff have led to a more diverse offensive approach from Tatum and the team as a whole.

Tatum is attacking out of the post more. He's driving the lane and pressuring the rim. His foul calls are coming within the flow of the game rather than being hunted, which was a problem last season.

Against a struggling Hornets team, Tatum should have no issue pushing for a 30-point game. The talent around him has limited how frequently teams can look to double him out of the pick-and-roll or send two while he's in the post. As such, his overall shot profile is coming easier than before because there's less resistance when he's entering into his shooting motion.

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The Boston Celtics are limiting second-chance points

A big part of the Boston Celtics' early season success has been their ability to limit second-chance points. Boston currently sits third in the NBA for opponents' second-chance scoring and is a top-five defensive rebounding team in the league. Jayson Tatum's growth as a rebounder and defender has been a significant part of the stringent rearguard this season.

Not only are the Celtics shutting teams down in the half-court, but they're also limiting opponents to one shot per possession, making it incredibly difficult for teams to have momentum-shifting plays or to get easy buckets around the rim after securing an offensive rebound.

Last season, the Celtics were an offensive-minded team. However, the franchise has always been at its best when doubling down on the defensive ability they have available on their roster.

As such, there appears to have been a change in mentality to begin the new season, leading the Celtics to thrive and get off to an impressive start that has them sitting first in the Eastern Conference, one game ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers.