Jayson Tatum’s Trainer Drew Hanlen Compares JT’s 3 Point Shooting to Anthony Edwards and Devin Booker

After making 0 three-pointers during the 2024 Olympics, Jayson Tatum’s shooting struggles became a national conversation. Since March of this year, the Celtics forward has played in 30 games and shot below 17% from the deep in 13 of them.

When he came into the league, the former #3 pick was regularly shooting around 40% from the three-point range. So fans were shocked by his sudden decline.

JT’s trainer, Drew Hanlen, joined the conversation and provided some stats to downplay his client’s supposed shooting slump. Hanlen saw this as a case of smoke with no fire as he compared Tatum’s shooting numbers from last season to those of the Celtics star’s notable peers.

He showed that JT actually shot better from beyond the arc than Devin Booker, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards. Tatum’s 3-pt percentage last season was 37.6%, which was better than Booker’s 36.4%, Shai’s 34.9%, and Ant’s 35.7%.

There are, however, some major differences between Tatum and the players Hanlen compared his shooting numbers to. Gilgeous-Alexander, for example, made 63.2% of his 3-point shots without being assisted on the play. For Tatum, that number is closer to 51%, with the Celtics’ ball movement allowing him more catch-and-shoot opportunities.

Furthermore, JT’s shooting last season was really a story of two parts. Before and after the All-Star break, Tatum’s shot was falling at an entirely different clip. Between April and June, the Celtics’ #0 attempted 175 three-pointers, and made 28.7% of them.

His overall scoring began to flounder too, particularly during the NBA Finals where he shot 35.4% from the field. It set a new record for the lowest FG% by any player who attempted at least 150 shots in the NBA Finals.

In Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Finals, Tatum went 1-7 from deep and 6-22 from the field.

“I understand that I do need to be more efficient, I do need to shoot the ball better…But you know, I’m not letting it bother me. I’m still trying to find ways to impact the game and dominate the game in other areas,” the 26-year-old said in the post-game press conference.

That’s exactly what Tatum did, contributing to the win with 9 boards, 12 assists and a steal. Next season, he expects to do more of that while putting the conversation around his shooting slump to bed.

Jayson Tatum has been putting in the work this off-season

Senior writer at ESPN, Ramona Shelburne, shared that Drew Hanlen has worked closely with Tatum to improve his shot mechanics. “He had been doing two-a-days with his longtime skills coach Drew Hanlen and physical therapist Nick Sang to address a mechanical issue in his jumper,” Shelburne reported.

The leading theory among fans is that Tatum’s left wrist, which has been giving him trouble since 2021, is part of the reason for his recent woes. The forward has refused to pursue any surgical operations for the same, making it unclear just how much of an issue it is.

Another possible reason for Tatum’s changed mechanics could be the muscle he has put on over the last few years. We’ve seen how it affected players in the past, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had a very different shooting form during his early seasons.

However, with all this information, coaching and rehab at his behest, JT is intent on returning better than ever next season. He recently proclaimed to his Celtics fanbase and maybe to the entire NBA, “You haven’t seen the best version of Jayson Tatum.”