Jakeopp wrote:Duke4life831 wrote:Mencius wrote:So, this is what I think will happen. We'll sign Hayward to play the 3, draft Tatum to play small ball 4, which I think he'll excel at. He's got very broad shoulders, and he'll really fill out, and the kid is a very good offensive player. With the LAL/Sac pic, we either wait and take it, pretty much guaranteed yet another top 5, or we flip it for Butler or George, and I'm not yet sure whether I'd prefer to trade that pick or ride it out. There are some very good bigs coming out next year. All that, and we still have the BKN 18 in our back pocket. Coming off the ECF, we are sitting pretty. The sky is not falling.
Tatum is without your best fit at #3. I personally dont like him at the 4, I think he is a 3 through and through (im in the minority on this though) but ya I think he fits great with Brown or Hayward.
Ill just say this, dont believe what many people say when they say Tatum is a ball stopper. He is far from it, the dude is a beast ISO player and that is why people say he is a ball stopper. The dude did whatever Duke needed him to do this past year. If that was keep the ball moving, he did it. If it was giving him the ball to get a score he did it. He will fit in very well with you guys and Stevens will know how to use him to perfection.
Didn't watch him alot. What are your thoughts on his defense, ball handling and athleticism?
Defense he has a ton of potential. He was by far the best defensive player for Duke last year. He is a better defender out on the perimeter than he is down low, which is one of the reasons I think hes more a 3 than 4. Ball handling, its basically as good as you can really hope for from a 19 year old forward thats 6'9. It does get a little high and out of control from time to time. But he has a really good handle for his size and age.
Athleticism on the other hand, there are definitely some question marks when it comes to him driving. His first step is fine, his speed in the fast break is fine. The issue is when he drives, he seems to lose all explosiveness. Dont get me wrong, he has the explosiveness, watch him get a block or rebound in traffic and you see plenty of athleticism. But for some reason, he has like 0 hops when he drives towards the basket. I dont know if its him just being a two foot leaper instead of a 1 foot leaper, or he just gets off balanced when he drives. But hes definitely a below the rim finisher when he drives and its definitely frustrating, its the biggest hole in his game. Either than that, he is a special player, his defensive potential is high, his scoring potential is freakishly high, plays within an offense very well. Finishing on his drives is his big question mark though.
