Boston Celtics fans have latched onto a pattern in Jayson Tatum’s latest workout clips, and this time it’s not about one awkward-looking shot. The buzz is around something else: the six-time All-Star putting real work into his in-between game.
Tatum has been showing the same kind of touch in multiple offseason videos that have been circulating on social media, and that consistency is what has people talking. One post on August 26, 2026 pointed out the “Consistent theme in these workout clips.”
The interest makes sense when you look at how Tatum’s shot profile has shifted. He’s always been a versatile scorer, but in recent years he’s leaned heavily toward the 3-point line.
Basketball Reference shows that 49.8 percent of his field-goal attempts last season came from beyond the arc, which was a career high. At the same time, just 17.1 percent of his shots came within 3 feet of the basket, a career low.
There’s an obvious wrinkle, though: Tatum played only 16 games last season after coming back from a ruptured Achilles. A player in that situation is likely to rely more on jumpers while easing back into form.
Still, the shift wasn’t new in 2024-25. His shot distribution had already been drifting that way.
The longer view backs that up. Tatum’s average shot distance has steadily climbed over the course of his career, with the sharpest rise coming over the last two seasons.
Jayson Tatum shooting stats
Season Average shot distance (feet)
2017-18 12.7
2018-19 13.6
2019-20 14.4
2020-21 14.6
2021-22 15.0
2022-23 14.8
2023-24 15.4
2024-25 17.1
2025-26 16.8
Tatum doesn’t need to walk away from the 3-pointer to make himself tougher to guard. What a dependable midrange or floater game would do is force defenses to make another decision. If teams chase him off the arc or pack the paint, he’d have another answer ready.
That matters even more now that Jaylen Brown is no longer on the team, which means Tatum will be asked to shoulder even more of the scoring burden.
It’s still dangerous to read too much into offseason workout videos. But if Celtics fans are seeing this correctly, Tatum may be heading into next season - and beyond - with a noticeably different look.
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