Jayson Tatum’s awful performance in the Boston Celtics’ season opener gave the haters the material they craved.
Tatum was simply not himself in Boston’s 121-113 loss to the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich., as he shot a woeful 6/23 from the field, while missing all seven shots he took from deep.
He finished with just 13 points, and while he managed to dish out a game-high 11 assists, it was his lack of scoring and poor shooting efficiency that the internet noticed more.
Tatum’s letdown performance also fueled the belief that he wouldn’t be as good without Jaylen Brown, who was traded by Boston in the offseason to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Jaylen Brown watching Jayson Tatum shoot 6-23 as the first option https://t.co/3JpobcPP8g
— Hater Report (@HaterReport) October 20, 2026
Jayson Tatum today https://t.co/xIENOA00ZB
— 💍💍💍💍 (@warriorsger) October 20, 2026
Jaylen Brown watching Jayson Tatum shoot 6-23 to start the season https://t.co/GsHghht2jn
— Basketball Ground (@BBallGround) October 20, 2026
Jayson Tatum to start the season https://t.co/xbAUI9uaes
— Hoops (@Hoopss) October 20, 2026
Jayson Tatum without Jaylen Brown https://t.co/P7H94W8HQV
— Onyx Odds (@OnyxOdds) October 20, 2026
It was clearly not an ideal way for Tatum to start his 10th season in the league.
While the former No. 3 pick overall struggled with his shot, his new teammate, Paul George, put the Celtics on his shoulders, scoring 38 points in an unforgettable Boston debut despite the loss. It was the highest-scoring performance by a player making his Celtics debut.
Boston still has 81 games left in the regular season, and Tatum can get back on track as soon as Friday against the New York Knicks, who also lost on Tuesday against Brown and the 76ers.
