Who Would You Trade Tatum for Right Now?

[RJD1974]

You want to know why there is no one that is a good comp for Tatum? Because the All-Time great he most would have been compared to died in 1986 after being selected by the Boston Celtics.

Dang, good call right here. TP.

Didnt know much about Len Bias' game. I thought he was more of a slasher and dunker. Did he have an outside game?

Bias had a wonderful, wonderful game. He was probably the most technically sound player to come out of the college game. He was DEADLY from 18 feet in. I mean, he shot something like .550 his senior year, and more than half of those shots were jumpers.

It's hard to judge how his range would've translated, since I think the 3-pointer hadn't yet been incorporated into the college game during his career, but given how perfect his stroke was, I'm sure he could've been an outstanding triple-threat in the pros.

Now, he did have more hops than Jayson, and he was strong as hell, but he was also a year older than Jayson is now when he graduated, so he was fully filled out by the time his call for the pros came.

The day he died remains one of the most baffling for me in my Celtics-loving career. I just didn't understand WHY. A real loss-of-innocence moment for 13-year-old me.

[gouki88]

You want to know why there is no one that is a good comp for Tatum? Because the All-Time great he most would have been compared to died in 1986 after being selected by the Boston Celtics.

Dang, good call right here. TP.

Didnt know much about Len Bias' game. I thought he was more of a slasher and dunker. Did he have an outside game?

It’s hard to tell from the stats, because the NCAA didn’t bring the 3P line back until ‘87, but from what I can tell (limited footage, scouting reports) he had quite a nice jump shot. His mid-range was good, off the dribble too, and he had developed into a really good free throw shooter. What could’ve been.

Bias was a superior athlete though, and a bit beefier so he could defend the post better.

[Big333223]

For me, the question of who I might trade Tatum for and who I think might be better in the league are different questions. Giannis and Luka are probably better right now and both young enough that it would make sense to trade Tatum for one of those guys but I don't know if I'd do it. I like that the Celtics drafted Tatum and he's developed here. It's sentimental but I that matters to me.

btw, Tatum's last 19 games: 28.6/7.5/3.1 and he's shooting .503/.462 and getting to the line 6.3 times a game. Obviously small sample size but 19 games isn't nothing he'll just turn 22 tomorrow. If we're talking about ceilings, this is a stat line I think we could see him put up for a whole season in a couple of years and those numbers for a good team are MVP numbers.

[Fafnir]

It'd have to be a player I believed could win a MVP award. So in other words everyone who you'd trade him for isn't available except for very specific circumstances.

[Fafnir]

btw, Tatum's last 19 games: 28.6/7.5/3.1 and he's shooting .503/.462 and getting to the line 6.3 times a game. Obviously small sample size but 19 games isn't nothing he'll just turn 22 tomorrow. If we're talking about ceilings, this is a stat line I think we could see him put up for a whole season in a couple of years and those numbers for a good team are MVP numbers.

Yeah you can get the MVP with those sort of numbers, but usually its a Rose/Nash/Kobe type MVP that people snipe about because a lot of it is based on team success or narrative.

[Somebody]

btw, Tatum's last 19 games: 28.6/7.5/3.1 and he's shooting .503/.462 and getting to the line 6.3 times a game. Obviously small sample size but 19 games isn't nothing he'll just turn 22 tomorrow. If we're talking about ceilings, this is a stat line I think we could see him put up for a whole season in a couple of years and those numbers for a good team are MVP numbers.

Yeah you can get the MVP with those sort of numbers, but usually its a Rose/Nash/Kobe type MVP that people snipe about because a lot of it is based on team success or narrative.

To be fair the Nash/Kobe MVPs were in a completely different universe compared to the Rose/AI ones, the former had excellent box and non-box results to go along with team success in a multitude of team metrics that are infinitely more reliable than raw team record compared to the pure box and narrative driven arguments of the latter.

I think Tatum's current level of play would land him closer to the former category, I think the eye test, box stats, impact metrics and team results all support that he's at least a high level contributor, and some incremental improvement in the quality of those box stats (eg. assists) would push him close to a fringe MVP level.

[shut_the_gate]

You want to know why there is no one that is a good comp for Tatum? Because the All-Time great he most would have been compared to died in 1986 after being selected by the Boston Celtics.

Dang, good call right here. TP.

Didnt know much about Len Bias' game. I thought he was more of a slasher and dunker. Did he have an outside game?

It’s hard to tell from the stats, because the NCAA didn’t bring the 3P line back until ‘87, but from what I can tell (limited footage, scouting reports) he had quite a nice jump shot. His mid-range was good, off the dribble too, and he had developed into a really good free throw shooter. What could’ve been.

Bias was a superior athlete though, and a bit beefier so he could defend the post better.

I know people will hate this comparison but for me Tatum has always resembled Carmelo Anthony but originally without the ability to get to the line (until now), without the ego and with a much better defensive game. But their frames, positions, height, shooting ability, propensity for the mid range are matching.

[Monkhouse]

You want to know why there is no one that is a good comp for Tatum? Because the All-Time great he most would have been compared to died in 1986 after being selected by the Boston Celtics.

Dang, good call right here. TP.

Didnt know much about Len Bias' game. I thought he was more of a slasher and dunker. Did he have an outside game?

It’s hard to tell from the stats, because the NCAA didn’t bring the 3P line back until ‘87, but from what I can tell (limited footage, scouting reports) he had quite a nice jump shot. His mid-range was good, off the dribble too, and he had developed into a really good free throw shooter. What could’ve been.

Bias was a superior athlete though, and a bit beefier so he could defend the post better.

I know people will hate this comparison but for me Tatum has always resembled Carmelo Anthony but originally without the ability to get to the line (until now), without the ego and with a much better defensive game. But their frames, positions, height, shooting ability, propensity for the mid range are matching.

I don't get the hate for it, I could see it.

Carmelo may have been labeled a ball hog, but he was one of the best offensive players during his Nuggets/NYK days. If he actually decided to slot himself at the 4, like at the Olympics, I think his career could've gone more consistently.

That being said, Tatum reminds me of a Pierce/Melo/George hybrid. He also has a lot of similar stylistic playing style to Kobe, where he sizes up the defender and uses his post moves to create space.