I don't think you can underscore enough the fact that Luka is the apparently unquestioned leader and top playmaker (not just scorer) for a team with a near .500 record in a very tough conference.
And he's a teenager.
That's a team with lots of veterans and a long-tenured coach that has won a championship.
Luka's been with the team for half a year and everybody seems to have bought in that he's the heart of the franchise.
It's incredible.
Tatum is a really nice young player and I'm glad he's on the Celts. I think he's going to become a multiple-time All-Star scoring wing in the vein of guys like Michael Finley, Glenn Rice, Glenn Robinson, etc. Maybe he'll even be on the level of a guy like Pierce.
But there's a big difference between "All-Star scoring wing" and "superstar lead playmaker," especially in the modern NBA.
How is Doncic the leader of the Mavs? Because he’s the primary ball handler? I’m sure having guys like Dirk, Jordan, Matthews, Barea don’t matter anymore.
And how soon people forget how well Tatum played in the playoffs just months removed from being a teenager himself. I guess a mediocre half-season is much more impressive than an ECF playoff run against Giannis, Embiid/Simmons, and LeBron.
No one is forgetting how well Tatum played in the playoffs. Or at least I certainly haven't. He played great. But while an objective perspective includes those 19 games, it also has to include games before and since.
And for Doncic, it also isn't just about the 39 games played this season (which have hardly been "mediocre"). Those are validation at an NBA level of things people have seen in this kid at every level, including his amazing EuroLeague & EuroBasket performances.
It's not a knock on Tatum to point out how spectacular Doncic's performance has been. People don't need to get so defensive. It is possible to appreciate the talent of players who aren't Celtics without saying anything negative about the Celtics.
We have a lot of players on this roster who used to be "aren't Celtics" players that a lot of us liked as players long before they got here. And clearly Danny liked them too ... or he wouldn't have brought them here.
Ditto.
I think Tatum is a great talent and he should be a great scorer in the league for years to come. But if I had two choose between the two of them right now to be part of my core, it'd be Doncic. He just has an all around game at such a young age. He's already doing what I hope Tatum can develop an ability to do: effect the game even when he doesn't score.
This, to me, is the piece that currently gives Doncic a small edge. His playmaking for his teammates. Tatum is, to my eye, a slightly more efficient scorer. Doncic gives you more boards and more assists.
As usual, it's hard for us on this board to grade their defense. There aren't stats, none of us watches Dallas and Boston both on the regular, and when we do watch the Cs, honestly, who keys in on Tatum's defense? They probably project as different kinds of defenders; Tatum longer, Doncic stouter. Gun to my head, Tatum probably has greater potential as a one-on-one defender (I did notice him giving Jimmy Butler a lot of trouble in the last Sixer game, which was a very pleasant surprise) and should have the court vision and discipline to play on a string with his fellow Cs. As his body fills out, he could become a plus defender. Add a little more playmaking and better shot selection, and that should give him a higher ceiling than Luka - at least if you care about two-way play.
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Topic: Who has a brighter future, Jayson Tatum or Luka Doncic? (Read 6438 times)