Jackie MacMullan: Celtics 'Didn't Love' Jayson Tatum's Mindset to Start Season

Jayson Tatum has struggled immensely in the Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, averaging 4.5 points while shooting just 24.3 percent from the field in the first two games.

And that performance is perhaps indicative of Tatum's struggles to blend in with Boston's other star players throughout the season.

"At the beginning of the season, maybe he came in with a different mindset that the team didn't love, quite frankly," ESPN's Jackie MacMullan said on Wednesday's episode of The Jump, referencing Tatum's habit to operate in isolation and slow adjustment to the return of players like Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, who weren't a part of Boston's postseason run from a year ago when Tatum played like a superstar. 

"The problem with this team: When they don't score, it snowballs the wrong way," she added. "... And Tatum has been a problem for months."

It's a problem the Celtics will need to address if they're to make a run to the NBA Finals. More importantly, it's something the team will need to figure out if Tatum is to remain a centerpiece for the organization in the years to come.