Time to think about trading Tatum?

[Sophomore]

Disagree about the OP saying that Tatum is only potential right now. He's an All-Star calibre forward already lol. His offence isn't great but it's adequate - he's missing a ton of bunnies that will go in in the long run, which will prop up his efficiency soon enough. His passing is also improving - he's gone from having severe myopia earlier on during the season to making good reads every now and then, it's still not good but it's also not terrible like it was. His defence is underrated - he's a top help defender at the wing due to his length and positioning, which gives him significant defensive value even though his man defence is suspect at times.

I think you may be saying "all-star calibre" rather than "all-star" because you recognize that while he has the right talent level the production hasn't been there. Too inconsistent, and much too inefficient as a shooter. His TS% is significantly below league average. I hope he gets there and think he probably will, but to my mind he hasn't really earned it yet.

But you should be measuring a player on his "goodness" rather than his situational value. Also it isn't like Tatum's production is that far off, he just needs to start hitting close range shots at a higher clip as well as clean up his drives to produce at that level (both of which are easily fixable/can regress back to adequate levels).

To put it another way - I can see glimpses of the player he might become, but to me he isn't yet performing at an all-star level. He's had a few really good games and even more stinkers. Mediocre assist numbers and a TS% of 52% doesn't scream all-star to me, especially for a wing flanked by a bunch of really good players. It's not like he's always having to be the primary option and defenses are all keying on him. He's only 21 and assuming he keeps working he's going to get a lot better. Hoping he takes the kind of leap that Jaylen took this year.

[Humble G]

Disagree about the OP saying that Tatum is only potential right now. He's an All-Star calibre forward already lol. His offence isn't great but it's adequate - he's missing a ton of bunnies that will go in in the long run, which will prop up his efficiency soon enough. His passing is also improving - he's gone from having severe myopia earlier on during the season to making good reads every now and then, it's still not good but it's also not terrible like it was. His defence is underrated - he's a top help defender at the wing due to his length and positioning, which gives him significant defensive value even though his man defence is suspect at times.

I think you may be saying "all-star calibre" rather than "all-star" because you recognize that while he has the right talent level the production hasn't been there. Too inconsistent, and much too inefficient as a shooter. His TS% is significantly below league average. I hope he gets there and think he probably will, but to my mind he hasn't really earned it yet.

But you should be measuring a player on his "goodness" rather than his situational value. Also it isn't like Tatum's production is that far off, he just needs to start hitting close range shots at a higher clip as well as clean up his drives to produce at that level (both of which are easily fixable/can regress back to adequate levels).

To put it another way - I can see glimpses of the player he might become, but to me he isn't yet performing at an all-star level. He's had a few really good games and even more stinkers. Mediocre assist numbers and a TS% of 52% doesn't scream all-star to me, especially for a wing flanked by a bunch of really good players. It's not like he's always having to be the primary option and defenses are all keying on him. He's only 21 and assuming he keeps working he's going to get a lot better. Hoping he takes the kind of leap that Jaylen took this year.

^ This is kinda what I was thinking. Except I'm not sold on him getting a lot better, I hope he does BUT  his future is cloudy to me.

Like I originally said I am not ready to trade him but I am ready to consider the thought....in other words, he is no longer untouchable.

[Somebody]

Disagree about the OP saying that Tatum is only potential right now. He's an All-Star calibre forward already lol. His offence isn't great but it's adequate - he's missing a ton of bunnies that will go in in the long run, which will prop up his efficiency soon enough. His passing is also improving - he's gone from having severe myopia earlier on during the season to making good reads every now and then, it's still not good but it's also not terrible like it was. His defence is underrated - he's a top help defender at the wing due to his length and positioning, which gives him significant defensive value even though his man defence is suspect at times.

I think you may be saying "all-star calibre" rather than "all-star" because you recognize that while he has the right talent level the production hasn't been there. Too inconsistent, and much too inefficient as a shooter. His TS% is significantly below league average. I hope he gets there and think he probably will, but to my mind he hasn't really earned it yet.

But you should be measuring a player on his "goodness" rather than his situational value. Also it isn't like Tatum's production is that far off, he just needs to start hitting close range shots at a higher clip as well as clean up his drives to produce at that level (both of which are easily fixable/can regress back to adequate levels).

To put it another way - I can see glimpses of the player he might become, but to me he isn't yet performing at an all-star level. He's had a few really good games and even more stinkers. Mediocre assist numbers and a TS% of 52% doesn't scream all-star to me, especially for a wing flanked by a bunch of really good players. It's not like he's always having to be the primary option and defenses are all keying on him. He's only 21 and assuming he keeps working he's going to get a lot better. Hoping he takes the kind of leap that Jaylen took this year.

I think it's more than glimpses - he's showing out every other game imo. And ehhh I think the current setup is really limiting him, Tatum isn't a portable guy on offence due to his skillset (below average passing, volume scoring with a diverse scoring arsenal and a tendency to overdribble). If anything I think he'd benefit from a larger offensive load on a worse team - he'd get more touches and shots to regress back into what he averaged at the rim the past couple of years, and he'd be scoring at a higher volume as well. Defences keying in on him really don't affect his efficiency that much - as I said his offensive skillset is pretty diverse, giving him a pretty resilient offence. I think he's already an All-Star due to the pretty frequent highs of his game to game oscillations as well as his excellent impact metrics on a pretty heavy offensive load.

[Somebody]

Disagree about the OP saying that Tatum is only potential right now. He's an All-Star calibre forward already lol. His offence isn't great but it's adequate - he's missing a ton of bunnies that will go in in the long run, which will prop up his efficiency soon enough. His passing is also improving - he's gone from having severe myopia earlier on during the season to making good reads every now and then, it's still not good but it's also not terrible like it was. His defence is underrated - he's a top help defender at the wing due to his length and positioning, which gives him significant defensive value even though his man defence is suspect at times.

I think you may be saying "all-star calibre" rather than "all-star" because you recognize that while he has the right talent level the production hasn't been there. Too inconsistent, and much too inefficient as a shooter. His TS% is significantly below league average. I hope he gets there and think he probably will, but to my mind he hasn't really earned it yet.

But you should be measuring a player on his "goodness" rather than his situational value. Also it isn't like Tatum's production is that far off, he just needs to start hitting close range shots at a higher clip as well as clean up his drives to produce at that level (both of which are easily fixable/can regress back to adequate levels).

To put it another way - I can see glimpses of the player he might become, but to me he isn't yet performing at an all-star level. He's had a few really good games and even more stinkers. Mediocre assist numbers and a TS% of 52% doesn't scream all-star to me, especially for a wing flanked by a bunch of really good players. It's not like he's always having to be the primary option and defenses are all keying on him. He's only 21 and assuming he keeps working he's going to get a lot better. Hoping he takes the kind of leap that Jaylen took this year.

^ This is kinda what I was thinking. Except I'm not sold on him getting a lot better, I hope he does BUT  his future is cloudy to me.

Like I originally said I am not ready to trade him but I am ready to consider the thought....in other words, he is no longer untouchable.

Looking back I don't think he should've ever been untouchable, I watched some highlights of his 2018 playoff run a few days ago and the stuff he was padding his stats with weren't really transcendent stuff you'd see from legends in the making like Doncic. I definitely don't think he's untouchable now, but a young All-Star calibre player should command a hefty trade package.

[GreenFaith1819]

The ONLY (IMO) Centers out there that can bang with Embiid and slow him down some are -

Al Horford (now with PHI)

Marc Gasol (can we pry him from TOR? Probably not.....)

Steve Adams

DeMarcus Cousins (LAL, injured)

Dwight Howard (LAL, forget it)

"Maybe" Domantis Sabonis.....?

Enis Kanter (Thankfully - with BOS).....

EDIT - Maybe Clint Capela? Doesn't seem like a particularly physical center.....

Any others?? Feel free to add.....

If we're looking to trade Tatum we'd better be looking at THIS list, IMO....Bigs with size, physicality and a HISTORY of defending Embiid and slowing him down (some).....

The GOOD thing is that I know Embiid will NOT average 38 and 16 during an entire series, so there's that.

[mqtcelticsfan]

The ONLY (IMO) Centers out there that can bang with Embiid and slow him down some are -

Al Horford (now with PHI)

Marc Gasol (can we pry him from TOR? Probably not.....)

Steve Adams

DeMarcus Cousins (LAL, injured)

Dwight Howard (LAL, forget it)

"Maybe" Domantis Sabonis.....?

Enis Kanter (Thankfully - with BOS).....

EDIT - Maybe Clint Capela? Doesn't seem like a particularly physical center.....

Any others?? Feel free to add.....

If we're looking to trade Tatum we'd better be looking at THIS list, IMO....Bigs with size, physicality and a HISTORY of defending Embiid and slowing him down (some).....

The GOOD thing is that I know Embiid will NOT average 38 and 16 during an entire series, so there's that.

You 100% do not trade Tatum for these players. Aside from maybe Sabonis, you don’t trade any of our core for them.

[CelticsPoetry]

I was unaware of Bryant injury...reading 3 weeks then re-evaluate.

I'm still high on both those players: Bertans and Bryant


I was a fan of Tatum and liked what he did his rookie year but after last year I slowly began lose hope that he was going to be a great player and this year hasn't helped that. Like I said he is still a really good player and has a high ceiling I am just not confident he is going to get much better.


I know I am in the minority that would do that WAS trade and thats why I am not a GM lol

BUT the point was should BOS think about trading Tatum? I see the potential in Tatum but it could be just that...potential.

I don't get why people give Tatum so much hate, but Brown besides his FG%, is averaging the same across the board. Tatum's shot selection is iffy, but if he makes like half of those mid-range fadeaways, no one would even be complaining..

That's the thing, he doesn't, yet he keeps taking them

[Celtics4ever]

Typical knee jerk reaction by the Chicken little section of the blog.

[Spicoli]

Tatum to me has all of the talent in the world. He can get pretty much any shot he wants, when he wants. The problem is he can't finish. He cannot put the ball in the hole. It's part shot select, part fishing for calls, part being too skinny, etc. You cannot/should not sell low on a player who can get his own shot whenever he wants in this league, even if he is inefficient for the time being.

I remember Kemba being a really inefficient player when he first came into the league, but by about the 5th season he had finally put it all together. Tatum right now is not the player i want him to be but i'm willing to be patient. I was wrong about Marcus Smart developing into something so i'm willing to be patient with Tatum.

[Sophomore]

Disagree about the OP saying that Tatum is only potential right now. He's an All-Star calibre forward already lol. His offence isn't great but it's adequate - he's missing a ton of bunnies that will go in in the long run, which will prop up his efficiency soon enough. His passing is also improving - he's gone from having severe myopia earlier on during the season to making good reads every now and then, it's still not good but it's also not terrible like it was. His defence is underrated - he's a top help defender at the wing due to his length and positioning, which gives him significant defensive value even though his man defence is suspect at times.

I think you may be saying "all-star calibre" rather than "all-star" because you recognize that while he has the right talent level the production hasn't been there. Too inconsistent, and much too inefficient as a shooter. His TS% is significantly below league average. I hope he gets there and think he probably will, but to my mind he hasn't really earned it yet.

But you should be measuring a player on his "goodness" rather than his situational value. Also it isn't like Tatum's production is that far off, he just needs to start hitting close range shots at a higher clip as well as clean up his drives to produce at that level (both of which are easily fixable/can regress back to adequate levels).

To put it another way - I can see glimpses of the player he might become, but to me he isn't yet performing at an all-star level. He's had a few really good games and even more stinkers. Mediocre assist numbers and a TS% of 52% doesn't scream all-star to me, especially for a wing flanked by a bunch of really good players. It's not like he's always having to be the primary option and defenses are all keying on him. He's only 21 and assuming he keeps working he's going to get a lot better. Hoping he takes the kind of leap that Jaylen took this year.

I think it's more than glimpses - he's showing out every other game imo. And ehhh I think the current setup is really limiting him, Tatum isn't a portable guy on offence due to his skillset (below average passing, volume scoring with a diverse scoring arsenal and a tendency to overdribble). If anything I think he'd benefit from a larger offensive load on a worse team - he'd get more touches and shots to regress back into what he averaged at the rim the past couple of years, and he'd be scoring at a higher volume as well. Defences keying in on him really don't affect his efficiency that much - as I said his offensive skillset is pretty diverse, giving him a pretty resilient offence. I think he's already an All-Star due to the pretty frequent highs of his game to game oscillations as well as his excellent impact metrics on a pretty heavy offensive load.

Maybe. But as you say he tends to over dribble and doesn’t pass well. If they were blitzing him I’d expect him to have a lot of trouble. Those 2-PT jumpers are a disaster. He shoots them at about 36%. Yuck.

[Vox_Populi]

I don't want to trade Tatum, unless we could get a James Harden type for him.

I will say I'm not excited about the prospect of giving him a max contract like I would be if he were Devin Booker or Karl Towns.

[Spicoli]

I don't want to trade Tatum, unless we could get a James Harden type for him.

I will say I'm not excited about the prospect of giving him a max contract like I would be if he were Devin Booker or Karl Towns.

I think he and Brown should get the same or similar contracts. Give them both the same money and years and let their play determine who gets the max after that.

[Monkhouse]

I don't want to trade Tatum, unless we could get a James Harden type for him.

I will say I'm not excited about the prospect of giving him a max contract like I would be if he were Devin Booker or Karl Towns.

Booker suffered from the same growing pains in his sophomore year. He took a leap in the 3rd year, because he was literally the only one on that team that could consistently score. At least Tatum is a far better defender due to his size and length.

[Vox_Populi]

I don't want to trade Tatum, unless we could get a James Harden type for him.

I will say I'm not excited about the prospect of giving him a max contract like I would be if he were Devin Booker or Karl Towns.

Booker suffered from the same growing pains in his sophomore year. He took a leap in the 3rd year, because he was literally the only one on that team that could consistently score. At least Tatum is a far better defender due to his size and length.

Tatum has never played on truly bad teams or teams where he's been even close to the best offensive player. It's why I give guys like Mitchell and Booker more leeway. Tatum this season, is just not scoring efficiently enough. It'd be one thing if he was averaging 24 a game, but he's not.

Agreed regarding defense, Tatum has been special this season.

[ChillyWilly]

Jaylen just turned the corner on being a good finisher in year 4. I think it takes time learning how to play through contact.

He's young so he's inconstant. Never sell low.