Better current player: Brown or Tatum?

[GoGreen]

Love both guys. I feel Brown always gets sold a bit short in these discussions and they are equal right now. Brown is a better defender but Tatum is a better offensive player.

Me too. I love em both, but Jaylen seems to have "it." The killer mentality, aggressiveness, work ethic; he just needs to put it together. I think Browns upside is bonkers. Kid can be a top 10 player with his insane athleticism, and for that reason I feel he's more valuable

[djFan71]

I'm all about Jaylen Brown, and really think he would've done similar stuff last year if given the minutes (but Brad Stevens HATED him!!/greenfont) -- but it does stand out to me that *all* of the advanced stats favor Tatum.

I also have to admit I don't know what we do with both of these guys plus Hayward going forward.

Start all 3, play them together and win titles!

Jaylen is probably my favorite, but I'd have to say Tatum is every so slightly better right now. He's a better creator, and can get his own shot off easier. Jaylen's made huge strides in that area, but he tends to be sloppier about it. Tatum's turnovers are rarely the result of forcing things, more the ball slipping - though he does love him a 1 on 3 fastbreak when given the chance. Jaylen will venture in without a plan a lot and lose it. Again, he's getting much better at driving and creating, but he's not overly polished at it yet. Both of their length(s?) on D allow us to have skilled guys that can still lock down which is extremely valuable at each position. Brown might be slightly ahead on D, but Tatum is right there as well.

[ballup]

They‘re different kind of players in many different aspects.

One is tall and lanky, leading to a more finess game while the other is off the charts athleticism, but having the ability to switch up between power and finess.

Tatum is much more of a shooter kind of guy having a better 3 point shot, step back, pull up, and cross over. Jaylen is more a slasher who has more ways to finish around the rim. He has an inexplicable finishing problem where he‘ll randomly miss shots you‘d think are gimmes, resulting in a lower FG% in the restricted area. Because Tatum has a better handle and more passing prowness, he is a better playmaker in both creating his shot and creating for others.

If you asked me before ASG, I‘d say Jaylen is the better man defender while Tatum is the better help defender. Jaylen‘s feel of the defensive end has improved since then and while it may not be at Tatum‘s level, the gap is not large enough to not declare that Jaylen now has a decicive advantage on defense. Tatum‘s lateral quickness doesn‘t compare, but to his credit, he is playing the more awkward tweener role.

Tatum is better overall because shot creation is extremely valuable. That isn‘t to say Jaylen can‘t catch up. He has shown signs of a post game from both the low and mid post.



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[keevsnick1]

The way I see it..Tatum can do everything Brown can do..Brown can do everything Tatum can..except..handle the ball.
Brown in my eyes, would be the better player if he had handles IMO. That to me really separates the two...if Brown can clean up his dribble as his career goes on, he will be a problem and will be just as good as Tatum down the line. Nobody can stop a player that strong, that fast and that athletic if he has above average ball handling skills.

Ya I dont think there's that much, if any difference in the quality of their handles. I mean Tatum routinely just loses the ball on his way to the basket. Brown has really cut down on his dribble turnovers. Tatum may be more consistently slid with his advanced dribble moves, but Browns high end dribble moves are pretty nasty when he tries. He's show some nice cross-overs, decent in and out dribble and the like.

Right now its very close, but I'd give Tatum the slightest of edges for his efficiency offensively. Brown may have the higher upside.

[cloverleaf]

Weirdly I think JT was to start the season and right now JB might have him by a hair.

[Duke4life831]

Eye test I would go with Brown, advanced numbers have Tatum, On/Off has them basically identical (8.6 for Tatum vs 8.8 for Brown).

Their numbers since Kyrie went down:
Brown:
17/3/1.5 and 1.4 stls on 49/57/71 shooting

Jayson:
17/5/2 and 1.8 stls on 48/44/79 shooting

I mean if thats not the definition of guys being pretty much equals, I dont know what is. You guys have 2 legit studs on your hands.

[K For Three]

Kobe Bryant likes him some Tatum and Brown.

https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-celtics/2018/04/11/kobe-bryant-jayson-tatum

Former Lakers star Kobe Bryant on Wednesday took part in a teleconference to promote ESPN’s new basketball analysis show, Detail, which is being produced by Bryant’s Granity Studios. During the call, Bryant was asked about Celtics rookie Jayson Tatum.

“His game is really well flushed out,’’ Bryant said. “Great midrange game. He can post up. He can finish at the rim. He handles the ball very well. He can shoot the long ball. I think there’s still little itty-bitty things that he’ll need to develop as his game progresses. Defenses tend to double him more to catch up to him.

“By and large, I love what I’m seeing from him, especially on the defensive end. Most young players coming nowadays just want to do the cute stuff. He seems to be the kind of player that doesn’t mind getting dirty and being physical and playing hard at both ends of the floor.’’

“Jaylen Brown is like that, too,’’ Bryant added. “I think very highly of Jaylen Brown, too.’’

[Green89]

The playoffs may decide this argument.

[Kalela]

The playoffs may decide this argument.

I can already see Brown being heads and shoulders above Tatum in the playoffs. Brown loves the big moment. It doesn't mean Tatum hides when the pressure is turned up; just that Brown thrives in it. Tatum will do well too.

[UNCBlue012]

Tatum is more skilled/polished, but I'm going with Brown as-is. I trust him more when the game is on the line.

[cloverleaf]

The playoffs may decide this argument.

I can already see Brown being heads and shoulders above Tatum. Brown loves the big moment. It doesn't mean Tatum hides when the pressure is turned up; just that Brown thrives in it. Tatum will do well too.

JT was clearly more the "big moment" guy in college and as a rook. Even this year, his 4th Q numbers were stellar--while JB's 1st Q numbers really popped.

JB's greater strength can make him appear more commanding in the moment, and as I noted above, right now he may be playing just a bit better than JT.

[bigfoot_cryptozoology]

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[Havlicek17]

Went with Jaylen. He's been a little better on D and confident in his game.

[bigfoot_cryptozoology]

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[jordb2k7]

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I've noticed this to a degree as well. He looks a little more filled out than he did to start the year. Some of that is age and some has to be the programs they have him on. They so often show videos of the guys from media day during the NBCSports broadcast that you can compare easily enough. He still has more room to fill out indeed.

[colaroaster]

kevin durant entered the league super skinny/lanky. scouts scoffed at his inability to bench 185lb, but they also knew he was nba ready. the league show-cased him at their events and durant eventually evolved to add weight, muscle and lethal shooting. so many similarities in durant i see in tatum.. baby durant 2.0?

[Fencer reregistered]

I don't think that Tatum will ever have the commanding length of Kevin Durant or Anthony Davis. So it's unlikely he'll ever be as good defensively as the peak versions of them. So to match them overall he'd probably need to shoot as well as not-quite-peak Dirk. Unlikely. Not quite impossible. And he's nowhere near that now.

Right now, Brown is the somewhat better player. He's much better than Tatum with is feet and body, which in practice is outweighing Tatum's superior with the ball. Brown made multiple plays tonight based on getting to the right place at the either end of the floor sufficiently quickly. When his shooting is also reliable, as it has been for the past few weeks, that puts him somewhat ahead of current Tatum.

[BruceBanner18]

Not a bad first playoff game for Tatum...19/10/4, 3 stls and 1 block making him the second-youngest player in NBA history to record a double-double in a playoff game (20 years, 43 days). The youngest was Carmelo Anthony on Apr. 24, 2004 (19 years, 331 days). And the only other Celtic to score 19 or more in their rookie playoff debut was Kevin McHale. Good company to keep...

[Braindesign]

Slight edge for Brown.

Jayson has better pure individual skills. He's got better handles and a better touch.

Brown separates himself from Jayson in becoming a more cerebral player, which is very surprising to say given how lost he often was as a rookie.

That's been the biggest improvement to Brown's game. He obviously spent a ton of time on his handle and shot last summer, but what's even more apparent to me is how much he studied the game to be better at spacing, off ball movement on offense and defensive rotation. He seems to always know where to be when the ball moves where as Jayson can sometimes get stuck on the perimeter waiting for the ball to swing to him, kind of like Brown did last year, but not nearly so bad.

I'm really high on Brown. I see a poor man's Kobe in him. He just seems to have that combination of being very athletic, really smart and hungry to dominate. I bet his focus this summer is further handle improvement and becoming a better playmaker.

I'll make the call right now. End of next season, many people will be arguing Brown is the best player on the team. He'll have stats somewhere in the 22ppg, 6rpg and 3asp. I'll predict 18, 6 & 3 for Tatum, Hayward 17, 7 & 4, and Kyrie at 23, 3 & 5.

[youngjefe2]