How far can Tatum/Brown take us?

[todd_days_41]

They need a third leg of the stool at the 1, 4 or 5 who is of equal quality (i.e. All-Star) to win a title. You need at least 2 superstars or 3 stars to win in the modern NBA.

[Big333223]

If Tatum and Brown are both 25+ ppg scorers, who score their points efficiently from all over, and play hard defense, then yeah they can definitely win a championship as the best two on a team.

I think both are in conversation to make an all-nba team this year.

[CFAN38]

I think the answer to the question depends on who your nos 3, 4 and 5 is, and who your bench is.

As first and second options the Js have to draw more fouls. Leonard in his year leading Toronto averaged 7FTA per game by himself, this season the Js are combining for 9.5FTA per game.

As a team I agree the supporting cast isn’t up the championship or even conference finals level. Tatum and Brown have the ceilings to be 1/2 on a championship team and Smart is a 30+ mpg guy on a championship team. Kemba I worry is really an over qualified 6th man at this point and Pritchard has the ceiling to play a similar role. Theis and Thompson are both good enough to be rotational bigs but are not moving the needle. Grant/Semi are both at best the 9th guy on a championship level rotation. Langford, R Williams, and Nesmith are still early enough in their developments that they may prove to be good enough to be a teams top playoff 8.

I see this team as at least needing a starting caliber wing. Either a 2/3 type like Fournier or T Hardaway or a 3/4 like Barnes or Gordon and a talent upgrade / consolidation at the 5. Turn Thompson and R Williams into a Valanciunus or Adams level 5.

[Indocelts]

We used to have an alpha male leader who were vocal and passionate, like Bird and Pierce.

The current team does not have it. The closest one is Smart, but he sometimes plays out if control and make dumb mistakes. Not a leader who players look up to and expect to bail them out in crunch times.

Tatum is soft. He tries to emulate Kobe, but Kobe drives to the basket to get free throws, not to avoid it.
When he misses early shots we will probably think that will be the way until the game ends. His heart is not in some of his games.

Kemba is too nice to become a leader and he comes with his own problems.

Brad does not show any emotion, and sometimes I think does not hold players accountable for their actions. Smart's jacking up foolish 3s after 3s should have put him back on the bench.

The one person I hope will be the alpha male is Brown. He works hard, has high BBIQ, and becoming more vocal, on and off the court. Hope he will become our leader like Pierce.

[blink]

I am voting yes.  But that yes means that Danny needs to get them help, and maybe more importantly be super smart with the salary cap, and make complimentary moves.  Our roster is woeful right now.  We need to make some trades to put the J's with the most complimentary players.  We probably need a young #3 guy (not Kemba) to be a pressure release valve for Brown and Tatum and take some pressure off of them.

[nickagneta]

They are 22 and 24 and have already led this team in two different seasons to the brink of getting to the Finals. Twice!! And only 22 and 24. Think about that.

Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman and crew lost a bunch of years to the Celtics before breaking through. MJ, Pippen and company had to lose a few years to the Pistons before breaking through. Lebron couldn't get past Boston for a while, until he did. All those champions credit losing in the playoffs for a while before learning to break through.

If Brown and Tatum continue to develop, playoff experience is what will drive them forward until they break through. They are that young and good. Get a better surrounding cast, and I could see multiple titles from the Jays.

[Somebody]

They are 22 and 24 and have already led this team in two different seasons to the brink of getting to the Finals. Twice!! And only 22 and 24. Think about that.

Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman and crew lost a bunch of years to the Celtics before breaking through. MJ, Pippen and company had to lose a few years to the Pistons before breaking through. Lebron couldn't get past Boston for a while, until he did. All those champions credit losing in the playoffs for a while before learning to break through.

If Brown and Tatum continue to develop, playoff experience is what will drive them forward until they break through. They are that young and good. Get a better surrounding cast, and I could see multiple titles from the Jays.

^^^this. People don't truly realise how playing crap players who should be third stringers at best on any team with playoff aspirations as key rotation players torpedoes a team - they screw up everything on both ends of the court (check 7:55 on how poor teammates tank your defence and 14:23 onwards for how fantastic offensive plays are squandered by inept teammates).