I'm kind of disappointed in Tatum as a scorer

[nickagneta]

To compare, here is Tatum's numbers last year, age 20, and here is Pierce's numbers as a rookie, his age 21 year.

Almost identical. And yet Tatum was still a year younger.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.fcgi?request=1&sum=0&player_id1_hint=Jayson+Tatum&player_id1_select=Jayson+Tatum&y1=2019&player_id1=tatumja01&idx=players&player_id2_hint=Paul+Pierce&player_id2_select=Paul+Pierce&y2=1999&player_id2=piercpa01&idx=players

[keevsnick]

I think the thing about Tatum is when you look at the production so far you have to be pleased its just he got way to hyped up way too early which causes disappointment when he's not as good as we all thought he would be at this point. We saw what he did year one and just assume he would improve massively every year until he was MVP. Its just a reminder that development is not linear, and even when a guy improves it might not show up immediately. In Tatum's case I suspect he will have a very good year. But even if all he does is scores like 1ppg more on marginally better efficiency that would still be very good. 

[PhoSita]

I would say my biggest concern regarding Tatum's ability to become a high volume scorer is that he doesn't generate a lot of contact.  He is going inside more, which is good, but he is still scores more with grace and agility than strength.

Top scorers tend to buttress their shot-creation prowess with 7-10 free throws attempts a game. 

That's the major difference I see between Tatum and Paul Pierce.  Paul was a master at getting to the line and did so frequently.

Paul was stronger and better at getting to the line, but even taking that out of the equation i felt that he was impossible to stop in one on one situations. When Tatum is in one on one situations, it's hit or miss it seems.

That may be true, but I would say the value of those 1 on 1 scoring possessions was overrated. Teams have figured out that it's generally not ideal to rely on isolations like that to get offense.

Tatum is just okay as an iso-scorer; he's excellent at finding his way through openings in the defense to get good shots inside or from range. 


Tatum probably will never be the stutter-step herky-jerky get-to-my-spot midrange one-on-one scorer that Paul was.  Of course, few players in the history of the game have been as good as Paul was at that style of play.

Tatum has the tools to be a 20-25 ppg scorer with very high level efficiency.  To be able to do that, though, I think he would need to get to the line a lot more often.  Perhaps that will come with time as he grows stronger and gains confidence drawing defenders out of position.

[PhoSita]

To compare, here is Tatum's numbers last year, age 20, and here is Pierce's numbers as a rookie, his age 21 year.

Almost identical. And yet Tatum was still a year younger.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.fcgi?request=1&sum=0&player_id1_hint=Jayson+Tatum&player_id1_select=Jayson+Tatum&y1=2019&player_id1=tatumja01&idx=players&player_id2_hint=Paul+Pierce&player_id2_select=Paul+Pierce&y2=1999&player_id2=piercpa01&idx=players

Biggest differences are steal rate and free throw rate.

Suppose you could argue that is illustrative of a difference in aggressiveness on either end, but I can't really say because I don't have a specific recollection of Pierce that year.


I do think the missing sauce in Tatum's game right now is a certain "eff you" assertiveness.  He's certainly capable of finding scoring opportunities within the offense, and I think he'll get up shots this year.

Question is how often he'll make an impact in passing lanes, on the boards, and drawing fouls.

[nickagneta]

To compare, here is Tatum's numbers last year, age 20, and here is Pierce's numbers as a rookie, his age 21 year.

Almost identical. And yet Tatum was still a year younger.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.fcgi?request=1&sum=0&player_id1_hint=Jayson+Tatum&player_id1_select=Jayson+Tatum&y1=2019&player_id1=tatumja01&idx=players&player_id2_hint=Paul+Pierce&player_id2_select=Paul+Pierce&y2=1999&player_id2=piercpa01&idx=players

Biggest differences are steal rate and free throw rate.

Suppose you could argue that is illustrative of a difference in aggressiveness on either end, but I can't really say because I don't have a specific recollection of Pierce that year.


I do think the missing sauce in Tatum's game right now is a certain "eff you" assertiveness.  He's certainly capable of finding scoring opportunities within the offense, and I think he'll get up shots this year.

Question is how often he'll make an impact in passing lanes, on the boards, and drawing fouls.

Those rates are minor stuff given Pierce was a year older.

Not all scorers are built the same and they don't all score in the same ways. If Tatum scores with the same efficiency as his rookie year but takes 16 shots a game, he will be scoring over 20 PPG in the same year Pierce put up only 16.5.

[SHAQATTACK]

sure glade sum folks are so patient.

[droopdog7]

My opinion on Tatum is that he’s not a guaranteed star anymore.  And he could certainly be the next Carmelo even if he does reach his ceiling.

[gouki88]

Think this is a bit early, particularly considering this comes immediately after a poor showing where he was unwell.

Want to see some regular season stuff first.

[Celtics4ever]

I think Tatum will be fine.

[Rondo9]

My opinion on Tatum is that he’s not a guaranteed star anymore. And he could certainly be the next Carmelo even if he does reach his ceiling.

So an elite scorer and a multi-time All-Star who once lead his team to a Conference Finals: Sounds great!

[chiken]

Can the 21yr old kid actually play his 3rd year before we start this madness...

[Somebody]

The main difference is strength (and to a certain degree explosiveness if we're comparing him to young Pierce). Defenders can get up Tatum's grill because they know he's not going to blow by them easily (Pierce was quite explosive when he was younger) and even when Tatum gets his shoulder on their chest they won't get bumped out of position too much due to his lack of strength. It's why I'm clamouring for him to put on an extra 20-25 pounds of muscle (iirc he's around 215-220 pounds rn, which is way too light for any wing to think of superstardom). When you lack the explosiveness to blow by your defender and the strength to create separation you'll be relying on your skill and length to create shots for yourself, which isn't ideal as top defenders can counter both effectively.

[Ogaju]

Tatum should have a heart to heart with Giannis. Get some of that strength program.

[tenn_smoothie]

He may have been sick last night, which could account for his struggle to finish. (He is scratch tomorrow for that reason).  I would not let that one game sway you.

Honestly it's not just one game, it's his entire body of work so far. He's a good scorer but not a great one. I thought i would be seeing a great scorer at this point, but i don't think he's made a major leap offensively yet.

I think all the drama and tension from last year affected Tatum more than anyone else on the team. He was coming off his great rookie season and even better playoff performance and steps into confused offensive chaos last season. He never did figure out how to play within that mess or what his role was supposed to be - most of the team didn't - and I believe his confidence and instinct for scoring were damaged. He is probably still thinking too much and trying to remember how he played pre-Kobe and pre-Kyrie. Hope he eventually finds himself again and I believe he will.

[Ilikesports17]

I would say my biggest concern regarding Tatum's ability to become a high volume scorer is that he doesn't generate a lot of contact.  He is going inside more, which is good, but he is still scores more with grace and agility than strength.

Top scorers tend to buttress their shot-creation prowess with 7-10 free throws attempts a game. 

That's the major difference I see between Tatum and Paul Pierce.  Paul was a master at getting to the line and did so frequently.

Paul was stronger and better at getting to the line, but even taking that out of the equation i felt that he was impossible to stop in one on one situations. When Tatum is in one on one situations, it's hit or miss it seems.

As others have mentioned Pierce has the benefit of 3 years of college to Tatums 1. At Tatums current age Pierce had yet to play a minute of NBA basketball.

That said, the idea that Tatum may not be the scorer Pierce is isn’t exactly distressing. Pierce was an all time great scorer. He’s 15th all time in career scoring. Tom Heinsohn called him the greatest scorer in Celtics history (although we all know Heinsohn is susceptible to hyperbole)

I don’t think Tatum is the scorer Pierce was. I think it’s possible he gets there but unlikely. He can still be a great player without being Paul Pierce