What is Jayson Tatum's ceiling?

[celticfan42487]

When Larry Bird was a 23 yo rookie he was really good. He got better every year until his first MVP in year 5. Tatum is only 22 right now. Not saying he will or won’t be as good as Larry but he has been to 2 ECFs in 3 years .... and he is only 22! I think he will become a much better finisher once he fills out his frame more completely and like most NBA players will improve his 3pt%, free throw% and defense with experience too.

What is most surprising is the speed with which he has improved his vision and passing out of double teams. I wasn’t expecting that for another year or two.

On TNT they keep reminding people this is after 4 months off so in a lot of ways for young guys this is another year in the NBA for them.

Especially players like Tatum who had a change in role and had all that time to look at the tape of how he gets defended in his new role and work on how he would counter that.

[Feed Your Head]

Was just watching highlights from the series, and the leap he has made as a playmaker in such a short time is incredible. It was all kinds of passes and different ways to set guys up. Classic drive and dishes, cross court to get guys open corner threes, buzzing the ball into the paint from behind the three point line, pretty much everything.

There’s not going to be a real weakness to his game within a year or two.

[playa-hater]

I don't know if anyone actually said this in the reply, but what about Kobe as a ceiling?? Before anyone shoots me, Tatum at 22 =/> Kobe..

[celticfan42487]

I don't know if anyone actually said this in the reply, but what about Kobe as a ceiling?? Before anyone shoots me, Tatum at 22 =/> Kobe..

It's a different era so the fact that he should have coaches praying and begging to get him out of **** shots every single play he won't be Kobe.

If he continued to play like he did in year 2 maybe.

[Spin Move]

We'll agree to disagree. Pierce shot poorly but the game was played differently and his team was significantly worse. Tatum has Kemba and Jaylen Brown. Pierce had Antoine Walker and Kenny Anderson. And you can knock Pierce's first few runs but one of those runs ended in the Eastern Conference Finals, so despite poor shooting he got results.

I'm hopeful for Tatum but I just don't see him ever being the best guy on a finals

team. He doesn't have elite athleticism and he doesn't take over games like you'd expect a superstar to do. I hope I'm wrong.

Also, Pierce is my favorite athlete ever as well. How could he not be right? Who comes back from being stabbed and nearly dying to have his best season? I probably overrate him but if I could replace Tatum with 2006 Paul Pierce right now I'd do it in a heartbeat. The guy was a warrior and wasn't afraid of any moment.

He’s 22, calm down lol

Luka is 21.

I don't see much room for Tatum to get better. He's not a freak athlete and he doesn't see the game on a different level so where's the improvement coming from to get to the next level?

improved shooting, ballhandeling and passing, he is an elite athlete not a freak, Kawaii is not a freak, he is a really smart player with great vision, his first instinct is not to pass like Luka but I disagree with you about the vision, also he can eventually add a low post game as he ages and gets stronger and really exploit those smaller matchups and draw double teams. He has plenty of room to grow. Will he put in the work to? Time will tell.

[ConstableGeneva]

Was just watching highlights from the series, and the leap he has made as a playmaker in such a short time is incredible. It was all kinds of passes and different ways to set guys up. Classic drive and dishes, cross court to get guys open corner threes, buzzing the ball into the paint from behind the three point line, pretty much everything.

There’s not going to be a real weakness to his game within a year or two.

Imagine the bigger leap he could've made if he had the right work ethic during the shutdown. If only he had touched a basketball while in quarantine tsk tsk.

[Falstaff]

We'll agree to disagree. Pierce shot poorly but the game was played differently and his team was significantly worse. Tatum has Kemba and Jaylen Brown. Pierce had Antoine Walker and Kenny Anderson. And you can knock Pierce's first few runs but one of those runs ended in the Eastern Conference Finals, so despite poor shooting he got results.

I'm hopeful for Tatum but I just don't see him ever being the best guy on a finals

team. He doesn't have elite athleticism and he doesn't take over games like you'd expect a superstar to do. I hope I'm wrong.

Also, Pierce is my favorite athlete ever as well. How could he not be right? Who comes back from being stabbed and nearly dying to have his best season? I probably overrate him but if I could replace Tatum with 2006 Paul Pierce right now I'd do it in a heartbeat. The guy was a warrior and wasn't afraid of any moment.

He’s 22, calm down lol

Luka is 21.

I don't see much room for Tatum to get better. He's not a freak athlete and he doesn't see the game on a different level so where's the improvement coming from to get to the next level?

Posters on realgm have been saying this since Tatum’s rookie year. They’ve consistently been wrong. Elite athleticism is not the only road to greatness in the NBA. Any Celtics fan should know that.

[sprash9802]

Funnily the questions surrounding Tatum coming into the draft was if he could shoot the three and defend enough... his growth in those areas along with his playmaking have been eye opening.

[TheMartian]

We'll agree to disagree. Pierce shot poorly but the game was played differently and his team was significantly worse. Tatum has Kemba and Jaylen Brown. Pierce had Antoine Walker and Kenny Anderson. And you can knock Pierce's first few runs but one of those runs ended in the Eastern Conference Finals, so despite poor shooting he got results.

I'm hopeful for Tatum but I just don't see him ever being the best guy on a finals

team. He doesn't have elite athleticism and he doesn't take over games like you'd expect a superstar to do. I hope I'm wrong.

Also, Pierce is my favorite athlete ever as well. How could he not be right? Who comes back from being stabbed and nearly dying to have his best season? I probably overrate him but if I could replace Tatum with 2006 Paul Pierce right now I'd do it in a heartbeat. The guy was a warrior and wasn't afraid of any moment.

He’s 22, calm down lol

Luka is 21.

I don't see much room for Tatum to get better. He's not a freak athlete and he doesn't see the game on a different level so where's the improvement coming from to get to the next level?

Yikes.

[Feed Your Head]

Yeah that didn’t age well lol.

[ConstableGeneva]

JT will be reunited with Deuce at some point during the ECF. Watch out for another leap in the playoffs.

[akhan786]

Was just watching highlights from the series, and the leap he has made as a playmaker in such a short time is incredible. It was all kinds of passes and different ways to set guys up. Classic drive and dishes, cross court to get guys open corner threes, buzzing the ball into the paint from behind the three point line, pretty much everything.

There’s not going to be a real weakness to his game within a year or two.

Also keep in mind it's not really age that's the factor here. It's really that he's in YEAR 1 of being the alpha end-of-game scorer of a playoff team.

This is his rookie year in the sense of the first full year he is in the role that he will be playing for the rest of his career.

Kiddos doing very well so far. But another big test awaits.

[zoyathedestroya]

Interesting factoid...

Most playoff games played since Tatum came into the league:
• 45 - Ibaka, Lowry, Siakam, Iguodala
• 44 - George Hill
• 43 - Draymond, Livingston
• 42 - Klay
• 41 - FVV, Looney
• 40 - Tucker, Eric Gordon, Harden, Powell
• 39 - Danny Green, Mook, TATUM

If the series vs. the Heat goes 7 games or if the Celtics advance to the Finals, Tatum could potentially overtake everyone on this list except maybe Iggy, Mook, and Danny Green.

Jaylen (38) is ahead of guys like Curry, Lebron, Giannis, and KD.

[zoyathedestroya]

Read on Twitter

Might as well change this to "before reaching the age of 21", 'cos two of these 20-pt game 7s happened in his rookie year.

[Jaqua92]

Funnily the questions surrounding Tatum coming into the draft was if he could shoot the three and defend enough... his growth in those areas along with his playmaking have been eye opening.

Growth?

Tatum is an elite 3pt shooter. Elite defender.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

[Fencer reregistered]

I'm just glad that somebody persuaded Tatum that the right shot selection for today's game isn't the same as it was for Kobe's era.

[ConstableGeneva]

Haha JT needs to score twice as much as he's doing now.

[celtics543]

I'll admit I was wrong about JT. His performance in game 7 was great.

[ConstableGeneva]

Watch on YouTube

[grindtime22]

I wish he would replace the running full speed line drive "floater".He is making more of them, but I still hate it. Most floaters are bad and his looks particularly bad. The full speed running line drive floater is an extremely difficult shot. I am amazed every time it goes in.

I wish he would go more to the Hayward type tricks and just pull up from 10 feet. Drive down there and then hit the the 8 foot fadeaway Hayward style. Watch Kawhi and see how he does it. Tatum appears to be pretty good when he goes to more of a jumper from that range. He just rarely ever does it. If you have to shoot a floater, get yourself far more under control, and get more high jump instead of long jump.