Coaches/GM's weigh in on Tatum vs. Brown

[Sophomore]

Tatum has a much better feel for the game.  He's a natural, smooth player.

Jaylen is much more mechanical and deliberate.


It's been interesting to see how that has played out -- Tatum looked like a natural born star in his rookie season, but now it seems that maybe the fact that the game seems to come naturally to him has allowed him to somewhat coast and just stick with how he wants to play the game.  He doesn't appear to have put in the work to change and add to his game, at least not so far.

Brown, on the other hand, has very obviously had to work extremely hard to add NBA-level skills onto his foundation of superlative athleticism.  He has struggled mightily when his role has changed, but over time he works super, super hard to figure out how to find his spots and stand out in that role.  Jaylen isn't a "basketball genius" like Kyrie or a natural like Tatum, but in some ways you can feel better about where he will end up because he seems to understand that kind of focus and day to day work he needs to invest in order for him to earn the kind of role and recognition that he feels he deserves.

Tatum's shot and ability to finish in transition are very smooth. But I wouldn't say he has shown great feel for the game  - an awareness of where to be on the floor and how to use his talents. He's an inefficient isolation scorer for a guy who takes a lot of iso shots. He hasn't really sorted out when to cut or how to use a curl to get his shot, or how to run a pick and roll. He's just starting to figure out how to pass. He's got a lot to learn.

Edit: I now realize, given the other comments in your post, that you seem to agree that he hasn't grown in these areas. I guess it might just be a difference about what the good and the not-as-good add up to.

[nickagneta]

Brown has matured more this past year than Tatum. Has learned to discern his strengths/weaknesses and exploit the former, minimize the latter, better.  Maybe Tatum will get better of that next year. I hope so.

Also did anyone notice how Brown really improved his free throw shooting during the playoffs, culminated with going 6/6 in game 5? His overall FT shooting percentage through 9 playoff games (77%) was better than Tatum, Rozier, Smart and Morris. 

If he could become a high 70's/low 80's free throw shooter, wow.

I think due to Brown's natural intelligence, and excellent work ethic, that Brown is going to be one of those players that adds new wrinkles to his game every off season and then add stuff during every season. I think he is going to be a guy that is still getting better every year until his peak in his late 20's.

I said this elsewhere but Brown didn't take a single 16-23 foot 2 point shot the whole playoffs. The Brown of last year took 8% of his shots from that range. This season he was taking that shot 5% of the time. In these playoffs, not one shot. That is intelligent progress and discipline.

I see Brown's future on this team as being the starting 2 or 3 with a line of 17-18 PPG as a #2 option, 6 RPG, 2-3 APG shooting 48/39/78 and playing All-Defense level defense. That will probably be good for a few All-Star games.

If Tatum gets smarter about his game and puts in the work on his body, he has a higher ceiling than Brown. But, I think it most likely Brown meets his ceiling or even, maybe, outperforms current ceiling expectations.

Giannis put on 51 pounds of muscle since entering the league with a skinnier, less developed body than Tatum currently has. Tatum needs to take lessons from the Freak about how to add muscle mass while maintaining strength agility. I wouldn't expect Tatum to gain 51 pounds but 20-25 more pounds of muscle mass added over the next few seasons would be great. A much stronger Tatum means much better things for his overall game.

[libermaniac]

A much stronger Tatum means much better things for his overall game.

Amen.  Tatum needs to do 2 things this offseason.  1) Hit the weights 2) Work on regaining his 3 point stroke.

[Greenblood35]

I think like many fans, I had sky high expectations for Tatum this season. It was hard not to, coming off of his playoff performance. I agree with what many have said, that he took way too many low percentage, heavily contested mid-range shots, and when he did drive to the basket, there was a lot of fumbling and getting stripped of the ball. His 3 ball was also less consistent (37% this year compared to 43% last year).  Assuming he splits the difference for his career that is still great.  At this point, I am just having a lot more trouble projecting what he is going to be.  There were very few games this year, where I thought "This guy is going to be a superstar and cornerstone of the team".  Maybe he will be, but I feel a lot less confident in that after this season.


IMO, if the price for AD is Tatum and Brown, you do it (assuming KI stays). Both may be really good players in the future, and could have a half dozen or more All Star appearances between them, but they are not superstars, nor do I think it is realistic to project them to be. Could one or the other turn out to be? As KG said, anything is possible.  But AD IS a superstar. I think while this season provided a lot of uncertainty for the fans, it provided a lot more clarity for DA, and what he needs to do in order to become a true contender.

[vjcsmoke]

Yup it is evident after these playoffs that the Celtics won't get over the hump without making a move for Anthony Davis.  They can have 1 of Tatum or Brown plus a stockpile of draft picks.

[fairweatherfan]

I don't think Brown has a higher ceiling than Tatum by any means but I've become a bigger fan of his than Tatum's this year. He dealt with adversity both physical (the pad on his shooting hand) and in his team role and came out the other side improved. Particularly in the playoffs where he was much better at picking his spots, even though I wish he dropped a few more of those open 3s. And he's just a cooler player.

[LilRip]

A comparison I haven’t seen much but I think is fairly accurate:

Tatum = Harrison Barnes

Both are great at catch and shoot from the outside, neither look to really pass, both have heavy iso tendencies and both love the midrange jumper. HB is a little further into his development and his midrange game is really deadly, but I’d imagine JT will soon develop that.

HB scores a (at the time) max contract with the Mavs. I can imagine another franchise ponying up that much to get JT’s services. Never an all star but a prolific scorer.

[footey]

A much stronger Tatum means much better things for his overall game.

Amen.  Tatum needs to do 2 things this offseason.  1) Hit the weights 2) Work on regaining his 3 point stroke.

Agreed. Tatum's lack of strength has hurt his ability to finish, which is where he regressed, or did not develop. Giannis is the poster boy for how to get stronger without gaining too much weight which slows you down. Embiid the example of how not to gain weight.  Kawhi also a good example of someone incredibly strong, but is not heavy.

[vjcsmoke]

Tatum needs to gain 20 lbs of muscle strength and he will be a monster in the NBA.

I'm not sure if Mamba is really helping his game.  Yes he's learning more iso moves, but he has kind of regressed offensively this season.

I do think his USG needs to increase overall but he's got to know when to take his shot and when to move the ball quickly to another attacking option.

[blink]

I think the comments about Tatum being an improved def player this year is exactly the opposite of how I feel about Tatum.  Based on my eye test, he was a worse def player than last year.  It felt like to me that this year Tatum's effort on def wasn't a great.  He had a lot more fire / enthusiasm on the def end last year.  It is actually kind of disappointing, because Tatum has some of the tools to be a good def player, he has good anticipation, he is smart, has a good feel for the game, he is really long.  But I think sometimes he just zones out a bit on def, and at times I question his foot speed and quickness. 

I think right now Jaylen is a way better two way player by the fact that he can actually be a lock down defender at times.  If I had to pick who should go in a trade for Davis, I say Tatum.  Brown fits way way better with the new version of the team with Davis.  But I still like both Tatum and Brown.  If we don't trade one of them, then hopefully we get to watch both of them on the C's for a long time.

[RJ87]

I don't think Brown has a higher ceiling than Tatum by any means but I've become a bigger fan of his than Tatum's this year. He dealt with adversity both physical (the pad on his shooting hand) and in his team role and came out the other side improved. Particularly in the playoffs where he was much better at picking his spots, even though I wish he dropped a few more of those open 3s. And he's just a cooler player.

At this point, I trust Brown to adapt a lot more than I do Tatum. No one knows what this team is going to look like next season, we need guys who can take what's thrown at them.

A much stronger Tatum means much better things for his overall game.

Amen.  Tatum needs to do 2 things this offseason.  1) Hit the weights 2) Work on regaining his 3 point stroke.

Can we add ball-handling there too? Because his ball-handling is terrible for the type of player he wants to be.

[Who]

A comparison I haven’t seen much but I think is fairly accurate:

Tatum = Harrison Barnes

Both are great at catch and shoot from the outside, neither look to really pass, both have heavy iso tendencies and both love the midrange jumper. HB is a little further into his development and his midrange game is really deadly, but I’d imagine JT will soon develop that.

HB scores a (at the time) max contract with the Mavs. I can imagine another franchise ponying up that much to get JT’s services. Never an all star but a prolific scorer.

Yeah, I think that is a fair comparison for who Tatum is today.

The big drawback in Harrison Barnes' development was his inability to develop his ball-handling (which hurt his shot-creation and made him over-reliant on medium efficiency shot attempts when self-created) and passing range.

I'd love to see Tatum working out with former Duke player Grant Hill. Similar size and body (Hill more explosive though). And really develop more dribble drive moves and PnR play.

Anyway, that is lesson I draw from Harrison Barnes and his so-so development since coming into the league. The inability to develop as a ball-handler and how much it has hindered him throughout his NBA career as a go-to guy. Tatum is in a similar situation and he needs to learn from Barnes' situation.

[td450]

I think Brown has the higher ceiling.

Part of this is that Tatum displayed some moves and footwork that was really advanced, and initially looked like a Durant level shooter (although that's tailed off a bit). But great scorers either have to have great burst speed, or have a great feel for the defender's momentum, or defenders will figure them out. Paul Pierce had that advanced feel for when to go on the defender. Tatum doesn't. He makes nice moves and has excellent footwork, but not the feel.

The two players are about 16 months apart. Tatum, while younger, has been training for pro ball since he was a little kid. He was training with his current pro trainer since age 13. Always playing against pros and future pros. AAU and Duke. He's been focused the whole time. Even though he's younger, I think he was way ahead of Jaylen in terms of basketball preparation.

Jaylen played against some elite guys too but didn't have the same focus as a kid, and was always physically superior. He has other interests, and went to Cal instead of going into an elite program. He doesn't have the footwork, and doesn't have that great feel for the defenders momentum either. But he's one of the league's most elite athletes. He doesn't need it so much. He can just run by most guys, and he can finish with either hand. Tatum has no left hand.

Athletically, Tatum is driving a Camaro, and Jaylen is driving a Lamborghini. He's much faster, much stronger, smarter, and now its starting to look like he's more competitive too.

Jaylen has managed to produce quite well with less developed NBA skills, and he's working hard at what he isn't good at. I expect him to pass Tatum soon. He's trying harder.

[mmmmm]

I said this elsewhere but Brown didn't take a single 16-23 foot 2 point shot the whole playoffs. The Brown of last year took 8% of his shots from that range. This season he was taking that shot 5% of the time. In these playoffs, not one shot. That is intelligent progress and discipline.

Yes.  And most of the long twos that Jaylen shot in the regular season were very early in the year, back in October / early November. 

There was a point in early-mid November, right around Nov 11 or so when Jaylen changed his offensive M.O.  He started just attacking the rim.  From that point almost all of his shots have been either in attacks into the paint or from outside the arc.  That was the point at which his scoring efficiency turned around and started climbing upward.

[CptZoogs]

A much stronger Tatum means much better things for his overall game.

Amen.  Tatum needs to do 2 things this offseason.  1) Hit the weights 2) Work on regaining his 3 point stroke.

3) Stay far, far away from Kobe Bryant.