Are we witnessing Jayson Tatum becoming a top 5 NBA player?

[footey]

Tatum's scoring has been other worldly the last two games.  He has finally rediscovered his jumper. 

To me that is just gravy.  The fact is, over the course of the season, and particularly the last month, he has really developed his play-making skills and ability to drive to the basket, often with incredible, and unpredictable, change of direction footwork, and either finish strongly, get fouled, or rifle a pass to the corner for an uncontested 3. 

He also continues to rebound well and defend very well. 

If he were shooting at his normal 40% rate from 3, there is little doubt in my mind that his stats would be at the level of a top 5 player.

I have been quite critical of JT at times during this season, especially during game threads, when I felt he was trying to do too much, resulting in dumb turnovers, bad decisions, complaining. I am now coming to realize that these were/are growing pains.  I used to feel that depending on the weather (i.e. most recent performance) would determine that day whether I preferred JT or JB.  I now have concluded that JT is at a different level than JB. 

JT is back on the path to elite status in the NBA. If he keeps this trajectory, and the team finishes in top 5 or 6, I think he can make 2nd team NBA this season, and 1st team as early as next season.

What do you think?

[ETNCeltics]

I still think he will get there, but I think we should wait a while before we take his improved play as a long-term trend vs. just a hot streak.

It's amazing how well he and JB shoot when they take shots in the flow of the offense.

[showtime]

 JT has always been on another level than Brown. Top 5 player, no doubt in my mind. If surrounded by more shooters he would average 7 or 8 assist per game!

[todd_days_41]

Nope. Two games ago the guy couldn't hit the broad side of a barn.

He's averaging a career low in both FG% and 3PFG%. He's averaging less assists than last season. He's averaging a career high in turnovers. And he still whines to refs constantly while he loafs back on defense. Is he really improving?

Top 5-10 guys make their teammates better. Tatum improvement in that area is still a major work in progress.

[RJ87]

I have been quite critical of JT at times during this season, especially during game threads, when I felt he was trying to do too much, resulting in dumb turnovers, bad decisions, complaining. I am now coming to realize that these were/are growing pains.

This is what I think people overlook with him. He's not a complete player yet, but people expect him to have the wrinkles and knowledge of an 8 or 10 year vet. We're legit watching a player develop and it's not always going to be perfect - especially when he's trying to work on parts of his game that don't come naturally like playmaking. I've actually been impressed with his passing all season, but now he's really finding a balance of when to look for his own.

[Moranis]

I never doubted that he had that ability and could still get there, but he is clearly not a top 5 player right now or probably for at least another couple of seasons, if at all. 

I do think he is arguably a top 10 player right now, but I've felt that all season long (especially if you don't count guys like Kawhi). 

[Celtics2021]

I’d say the better way to phrase this is we’re seeing what Tatum looks like when he’s a top 5 player.  He’s just not that frequently enough to be there.  But he definitely has it in him, if he can find a different level of consistency.  Any night he steps on the court, no matter who else is out there from the other team, he has a chance of being the best guy that night.  I’d say that applies to 15-20 players in the NBA.  The top 5 guys are the ones who actually rise to that potential the most, and that isn’t Tatum, yet.  Could be one day, and that could be soon.  Or it could be never.

[Atzar]

Why does every thread about Tatum or Brown have to slip in these comments pitting them against each other? 

Having two good players is kinda nice, guys.  No need to put one down to support the other.  You can like both. 

[Donoghus]

I hope he gets there.  He certainly has the ability and potential too.   Just gotta be more consistent and he still needs to improve in some areas but his ceiling is certainly Top 5, IMO.

[td450]

We are one game above .500. We are not the top 5 or 6, but rather top 15 or 16. The team has not fixed its 4th quarter issues, and Tatum is a big part of that. He's just shot better.

[footey]

Why does every thread about Tatum or Brown have to slip in these comments pitting them against each other? 

Having two good players is kinda nice, guys.  No need to put one down to support the other.  You can like both.

I agree with your sentiment, but don't think I was putting JB down, just that JT has started to distinguish himself as a more valuable player. I brought up the fact that I did not feel that way until recently.  Really just to show something special emerging about JT as an all around player.

[footey]

We are one game above .500. We are not the top 5 or 6, but rather top 15 or 16. The team has not fixed its 4th quarter issues, and Tatum is a big part of that. He's just shot better.

I think we are quite capable of finishing top 5 or 6 in the East, if we continue to stay healthy and play tight knit like the last two games.

[SHAQATTACK]

He looks like

HE iS BACK !

[droopdog7]

We see this every year, and almost about this time.  He needs to do this for a full year first.

[W8ting2McHale]

We see this every year, and almost about this time.  He needs to do this for a full year first.

I think this is why “growing pains” holds true, even more so this season. He was looking like a borderline top 10 player the last 2 months of the 2021 season. I know people want to see a jump at the start of the season, but Tatum was working out and playing for the US during the summer. Then he’s got a new coach. And he has to become a playmaker.

He’s making the jump mid season. He was frustrating to watch while he was doing it, because he’s not a natural playmaker and he was forcing plays probably out of frustration that when he made passes they didn’t result in points because guys missed.

Some of that was on him not making plays and setting guys up properly and just passing the ball “see, I passed it” and some of it was just not having shooters to pass to.

Then there’s the whole not having the core playing together and missing games. It’s hard to make improvements and be consistent when the guys  on the court are a different group every night.

To me, Tatum’s biggest flaw this season has been consistency. If the team can stay healthy I expect him to become more consistent, and with that he’s going to be looking like a borderline top 5 instead of 10.