Ainge on Tatum: "he has to get better on both ends. He knows that"

[nickagneta]

Tatum will gain weight and muscle, but with only 4 months until training camp, he isn't going to put a ton of weight on. He just played 100 games as a rookie. He'll take some time off to recover then get into a routine. But expecting more than 8-10 lbs of muscle in 3 1/2 months is unrealistic. I think it will take 2 to 3 offseasons for him to put on the 20+ lbs of muscle he will need to be at his peak.

[droopdog7]

Why do people keep talking about "the 4".  BS has 3 positions in his team.  Ball handler, wing and big.  I'm 99% sure he envisions brown, tatum and hayward all being wings and being interchangeable.  BS doesn't strike me as a "i need a banger PF" guy.

The REAL answer is that people are trying to squeeze Tatum, Hayward, and Brown into the starting line up.  And maybe it works, maybe it doesn't.  Brad will do what is best for the team.

[JHTruth]

Gotta add some weight on him so he can play better post D.

I'd like to see him get his shot off quicker too so he can catch and shoot more effectively. Too much dribbling..

[IDreamCeltics]

He just needs to put in work on his game and strength. He'll be fine. He won't be taking off the whole summer. Training camp is in 3 months. One can only improve so much in such a short period of time. For a 20 years old though he can get some things accomplished. Look at how much Jaylen improved from year 1. I think Tatum puts on about 10 pounds. He'll need it to finish better at the rim.

Who on the team is better at finishing at the rim than Tatum?

[TomHeinsohn]

He's not going to be bulking up as much as people think

Look at Durant

That seems likely; it’s going to be interesting to see how they decide to develop him. My sense is that part of what makes him special is his agility and flexibility at that length. He’s never going to be a banger. More strength will come in handy, but I think it’s going to be a wiry strength that doesn’t slow him down too much. I don’t see him backing guys down unless he gets a guard on him.

exactly. His Agility is his x factor.

He needs functional strength, not bulkiness. I don’t think Lebron can back KD down the way he had been backing down anybody not named Horford or Morris.

Tatum could not possibly put on sufficient muscle mass to slow him down, unless he engages in a major steroid regimen. Almost no human is capable of (naturally) packing on quantities of muscle mass that would exceed the point at which they provide benefits to athletic performance. Especially not a naturally slight guy like Tatum. Hit those weights, kid.