We have enough of a Tatum sample now

[Marvel]

Tatum has the perfect mindset to be a great player. He's so calm and even keeled. Says all the right things you'd expect out of a great player. He's only going to get better..... dude is young. We're still working things out as a team. He'll be fine.

It’s funny the way people see things differently. I feel and have felt since early last year that Tatum’s “calm even keeled” nature is the only thing holding him back from being a superstar. He’s improved quite a bit this season but still has flashes of what I consider a lack of intensity and hustle which holds him back. I’d like to see less calm and even keeled and more fire. Except where the refs are concerned.

He def needs that killer instinct in him.

[zoyathedestroya]

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[Powesknees]

Tatum has the perfect mindset to be a great player. He's so calm and even keeled. Says all the right things you'd expect out of a great player. He's only going to get better..... dude is young. We're still working things out as a team. He'll be fine.

It’s funny the way people see things differently. I feel and have felt since early last year that Tatum’s “calm even keeled” nature is the only thing holding him back from being a superstar. He’s improved quite a bit this season but still has flashes of what I consider a lack of intensity and hustle which holds him back. I’d like to see less calm and even keeled and more fire. Except where the refs are concerned.

He def needs that killer instinct in him.

I am in the other camp. I like his mentality. He’s already shown he’s not afraid of the moment and taking big shots. Right now it’s about him taking incremental steps and he has been doing that. Frankly, I like Jb but I think he talks too much.. I prefer the way Jt handles himself.

[31to6]

What exactly are we going to DO with this Tatum sample? Rebuild him? Clone him?

[Feed Your Head]

His defense is so god damn ridiculous, the fact that he's only 16 makes it even more impressive.

And we haven't seen the OP in awhile.

[GuyClinch]

Tatum should make all-star team a few times in his career - so he is going to be pretty damn good. On the downside I don't think he will be quite efficient enough to be a superstar - which isn't a big deal how many guys are superstars? Should be in the mix for top 10 - 20 every year for ten years+.

On the downside I don't think he is going to be the next Kobe. More like the next Reggie Miller with some more D and better around the hoop.

[Gomes3PC]

It's a matter IMO of just how much of a knock-down shooter he becomes. At this phase he's right on the same path as PG but PG worked on his craft to become an elite-elite shooter, because his ability to dominate off the bounce just wasn't there, and he's not an elite passer either. I think Tatum faces a similar quandary. There's no guarantee he becomes the shooter George does, but maybe he continues to progress as a passer in a way George didn't?

If he's the Reggie Miller with D we should definitely NOT trade him. Miller was never a top-5 overall guy but that was mainly because he was always a liability on D.

[sam_I_am]

Tatum should make all-star team a few times in his career - so he is going to be pretty damn good. On the downside I don't think he will be quite efficient enough to be a superstar - which isn't a big deal how many guys are superstars? Should be in the mix for top 10 - 20 every year for ten years+.

On the downside I don't think he is going to be the next Kobe. More like the next Reggie Miller with some more D and better around the hoop.

I think he has shown flashes of greatness. However, there are many times his shot doesn’t fall or he misses layups or he tries to force an iso and looks bad doing it. The path to superstardom not only means greater consistency and efficiency.....but also learning how to make his teammates better with passing. Who is to say he can’t get there? He’s only 21, really long and getting bigger and stronger.....and he has a sweet looking step back 3. I refuse to close the book on Tatum....he can and should get a lot better. If he is 25 and still playing like this.....I’ll be shocked....and playing like this is already pretty great.

[Feed Your Head]

This threaf has aged predictably well. This is a pretty good story, breaks down how Tatum still has plenty of work to do as a play maker, but that he's made the jump to a legitimate star player. I know he can be frustrating at times, but dude is a year and a half younger than Jaylen, who is young as hell himself.

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So much intrigue has been tethered to his off-ball spacing, but he's turned into a more reliable shot creator. He's burying his off-the-dribble threes at a higher clip than his spot-up treys.

Few players are matching his amalgam of volume and efficiency on pull-up triples. Paul George, Devonte' Graham, James Harden, Damian Lillard and Walker are the only ones shooting 36 percent or better on those looks while launching at least three per game.

Tatum has racked up about as many points off unassisted three-pointers as CJ McCollum in far less playing time, per PBP Stats. He has shown the capacity to break down good to awesome defenders off the dribble. That brand of scoring is invaluable.

The optionality Tatum affords the Celtics on defense also cannot be overstated. He can defend every wing position and has opportunistic hands both on and off the ball.

Robert Covington, Draymond Green and Jonathan Isaac are the only non-centers matching his defensive rebound, steal and block rates. Boston's defensive rating improves 6.6 points per 100 possessions with him on the court, a differential that ranks in the 91st percentile and tracks with how the team plays when he headlines lineups sans Walker.

[Roddy]

His defense is good, but Vs the Lakers he was defending on KCP, Avery and Kuzma most of the times.

Jaylen, Marcus and Hayward were on Lebron, AD and Danny Green most of the time.

I'm pretty sure it's easier to defend on KCP than Lebron.

[Feed Your Head]

His defense is good, but Vs the Lakers he was defending on KCP, Avery and Kuzma most of the times.

Jaylen, Marcus and Hayward were on Lebron, AD and Danny Green most of the time.

I'm pretty sure it's easier to defend on KCP than Lebron.

His one weakness defensively is defending strong guys in the post, though he has gotten better at fronting and swiping the ball away to make up for it. He completely shut down Ingram a few weeks ago, is easily our best Jimmy Butler defender. Jaylen is probably the better man defender still, but Tatum is infinitely better as a team defender, which i think is far more important than man D nowadays.

By any measure he's been elite defensively, and the eye test definitely matches. Guys shoot 7% below their average FG when he defends (was 6th best in the league last i saw), their defensive rating is far better with him in than any other rotation player, and his ability to switch so effortlessly and stay disciplined is the most important ability in Brads defense.

[zoyathedestroya]

Haha Javonte savage.

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[zoyathedestroya]

His iso stepback from three should be his only move that requires 5+ dribbles.

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He has a huge first step that when he catches and goes, he's already near the rim and can just flip the ball off the glass.

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Both Jays can benefit from better spacing, movement, and a faster pace.

[Roddy]

His defense is good, but Vs the Lakers he was defending on KCP, Avery and Kuzma most of the times.

Jaylen, Marcus and Hayward were on Lebron, AD and Danny Green most of the time.

I'm pretty sure it's easier to defend on KCP than Lebron.

His one weakness defensively is defending strong guys in the post, though he has gotten better at fronting and swiping the ball away to make up for it. He completely shut down Ingram a few weeks ago, is easily our best Jimmy Butler defender. Jaylen is probably the better man defender still, but Tatum is infinitely better as a team defender, which i think is far more important than man D nowadays.

By any measure he's been elite defensively, and the eye test definitely matches. Guys shoot 7% below their average FG when he defends (was 6th best in the league last i saw), their defensive rating is far better with him in than any other rotation player, and his ability to switch so effortlessly and stay disciplined is the most important ability in Brads defense.

Why are you always trying to compare Jaylen and Jayson ? They are teammates you know...

And the eye test showed against the best team of the NBA yesterday that he was defending on weak guys. Nothing bad about it, he has done a good job on them.

If you want to compare both our players with advanced stats, then Jaylen is elite too I guess...

[Feed Your Head]

His defense is good, but Vs the Lakers he was defending on KCP, Avery and Kuzma most of the times.

Jaylen, Marcus and Hayward were on Lebron, AD and Danny Green most of the time.

I'm pretty sure it's easier to defend on KCP than Lebron.

His one weakness defensively is defending strong guys in the post, though he has gotten better at fronting and swiping the ball away to make up for it. He completely shut down Ingram a few weeks ago, is easily our best Jimmy Butler defender. Jaylen is probably the better man defender still, but Tatum is infinitely better as a team defender, which i think is far more important than man D nowadays.

By any measure he's been elite defensively, and the eye test definitely matches. Guys shoot 7% below their average FG when he defends (was 6th best in the league last i saw), their defensive rating is far better with him in than any other rotation player, and his ability to switch so effortlessly and stay disciplined is the most important ability in Brads defense.

Why are you always trying to compare Jaylen and Jayson ? They are teammates you know...

And the eye test showed against the best team of the NBA yesterday that he was defending on weak guys. Nothing bad about it, he has done a good job on them.

If you want to compare both our players with advanced stats, then Jaylen is elite too I guess...

I mean i've spent the season saying how badly i undersold Jaylen. And yeah there is some natural comparison there, doesn't mean i'm not extremely happy to have both lol. But if you want to call out me comparing them with advanced stays, Jayson is 6th in RPM, 14th in PIPM, and 12th in RAPTOR. Jaylen is 71st in RPM, 101st in PIPM, and 91st in RAPTOR. Jayson even has a slight edge in something like PER, which is surprising considering Jaylen has been more efficient.

Now i think those stats CLEARLY undersell Jaylen, and Tatum clearly isn't a top 10 player. I agree Hayward did an awesome job on LeBron yesterday, and Jaylen set the tone for the entire game with his aggressive defense on LeBron. Just doesn't chance my opinion that Tatum is the best defender of them, just like you're free to have your opinion.

[cloverleaf]

Tatum should make all-star team a few times in his career - so he is going to be pretty damn good. On the downside I don't think he will be quite efficient enough to be a superstar - which isn't a big deal how many guys are superstars? Should be in the mix for top 10 - 20 every year for ten years+.

On the downside I don't think he is going to be the next Kobe. More like the next Reggie Miller with some more D and better around the hoop.

Let's see, at age 21 he has started all 200 regular season and 28 playoffs games he has played so far in his NBA career. He has a .558 TS% in the regular season and .564 TS% in the playoffs.

Paul Pierce closed out his 10 AS-game career with a career .568 TS% in the regular season and .554 in the playoffs. It took until Paul was 27 to have higher than a .570 TS% in a season. JT started out with a .586 TS% as a teenage rookie starter in the league.

I don't think JT's shooting efficiency will hurt him a bit in the long run.

But what I think is special about JT is how consistently dedicated to and effective he is on the defensive in, while also now carrying a lead load on offense. That is really rare.

[cloverleaf]

His one weakness defensively is defending strong guys in the post, though he has gotten better at fronting and swiping the ball away to make up for it. He completely shut down Ingram a few weeks ago, is easily our best Jimmy Butler defender. Jaylen is probably the better man defender still, but Tatum is infinitely better as a team defender, which i think is far more important than man D nowadays.

By any measure he's been elite defensively, and the eye test definitely matches. Guys shoot 7% below their average FG when he defends (was 6th best in the league last i saw), their defensive rating is far better with him in than any other rotation player, and his ability to switch so effortlessly and stay disciplined is the most important ability in Brads defense.

Why are you always trying to compare Jaylen and Jayson ? They are teammates you know...

And the eye test showed against the best team of the NBA yesterday that he was defending on weak guys. Nothing bad about it, he has done a good job on them.

If you want to compare both our players with advanced stats, then Jaylen is elite too I guess...

I mean i've spent the season saying how badly i undersold Jaylen. And yeah there is some natural comparison there, doesn't mean i'm not extremely happy to have both lol. But if you want to call out me comparing them with advanced stays, Jayson is 6th in RPM, 14th in PIPM, and 12th in RAPTOR. Jaylen is 71st in RPM, 101st in PIPM, and 91st in RAPTOR. Jayson even has a slight edge in something like PER, which is surprising considering Jaylen has been more efficient.

Now i think those stats CLEARLY undersell Jaylen, and Tatum clearly isn't a top 10 player. I agree Hayward did an awesome job on LeBron yesterday, and Jaylen set the tone for the entire game with his aggressive defense on LeBron. Just doesn't chance my opinion that Tatum is the best defender of them, just like you're free to have your opinion.

Why do those stats undersell Jaylen and why isn't JT a top 10 player in the league? JT is at a C's rotation-player best +11.6 on-off +/- per 100, while JB is a starter-worst -2.5 on the same stat--despite the two players starting and ending every half of every game together. That differential really says a lot.

And I think JB is a great and improving player. But he's the 4th best player on the C's. 71st in the league puts him as an average 3rd-best player on teams across the league. That's probably pretty fair--he's better than that on some teams and worse than that on others.

[zoyathedestroya]

Tatum has been, without a doubt, the most impactful player on the team this season. To be that already as a teenager is nothing short of amazing.

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[SmartWentCrazy]

Tatum has been, without a doubt, the most impactful player on the team this season. To be that already as a teenager is nothing short of amazing.

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Was watching the game last night and it was obvious that Tatum is far and away our best player. The team just falls off a cliff when he’s out.

[Floody100]

I think he’s listed at 210 pounds right now which tells me when he fully develops his body he will probably end up at 220 (maybe 225). Considering he doesn’t look at strong as some players driving to the rim that extra weight should do wonders for him.
I am so damn excited for this kid !