Back Up PF? Back up for who? What we need is a starting PF. We already have enough back ups (Parker, Williams, Kantor) and please don't tell me that Tatum is a PF. Our need is for a starting caliber PF. We don't need any more back up PFs.
Tatum is the starting PF. He’s prototypical, modern day power forward. 6’9” and he can shoot the 3. That’s what the position is now.
Well, agree to disagree. Tatum is a starter but he is not a power forward. He is a wing, one of the best wings in the entire NBA. We are forced to play one of the best wings in the NBA in the PF slot because we don't have an actual starting quality PF to play the PF slot. And he isn't 6'-9", he is listed at 6'-8", not that this is all that important.
Do people really think that we would play Tatum at PF if we actually had a starting PF to play PF? Most of last year, we started Daniel Theis at PF and he barely at best has starting level talent. I wouldn't (play Tatum at PF). I would prefer to never play Tatum at PF, to always play him at wing.
So if we play say Smart, Richardson, Brown, Tatum, and Horford, is Tatum playing PF? Why not Brown? Why not Smart? The answer is that we are playing without a PF. We are playing a PG, 3 wings, and a Big. Nothing wrong with that in certain situations but we would not play that as our core unit if we had a legit starting PF to put out there.