There was plenty of eagerness to see the new Boston Celtics. With Jaylen Brown’s departure now confirmed, the Massachusetts franchise underlined Jayson Tatum’s status as the undisputed leader, as he faces perhaps the most important season of his career. Well, he has crashed out right from the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Far from leading the Greens to victory, the All-Star forward suffered every one of the minutes he spent on court against the Detroit Pistons, finishing with just 13 points on a painful 6 of 23 from the field; that is, a long way from the role expected of him on a team that last night enjoyed a fantastic 31-point performance from Paul George.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tatum should obviously improve as he finds his rhythm with the games, and it is also true that the Michigan side’s defence (and others) will have plenty to say about it, but his calling card was far from his best in a game they ended up losing 121-113 after being 22 points up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One game has been enough to show that Boston is what it was: strong defence, flashes of brilliance and inexplicable lapses. Much is expected of this side, but there are no fewer doubts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Early in the second half, Joe Mazzulla’s side had moved 22 points ahead. They were dominating on the Pistons’ court and it seemed the only task was not to derail, but they did so spectacularly, the especially painful part being the 23-0 run they conceded in the final quarter to go from 89-99 to 112-99…<\/p>\n\n\n\n