Identify perfect fits for Tatum and Brown

[KG Living Legend]

 What players do you think would fit perfectly with Tatum and Brown. All types of players. Stars and role players.

I'll start with our next big free agent signing in a couple years.

Jokic

[KG Living Legend]

 This year I'd love to grab Kyle Anderson and or Lonzo Ball. 

Jokic
Duncan Robinson
Tatum
Brown
Lonzo

[Jvalin]

Imo, Tatum is at his best when playing at the 4. Traditional 4s aren't explosive enough to stay in front of him on the perimeter. This is a massive advantage in our favour, especially since Tatum can put the ball on the floor and create his own shot.

Likewise, imo Brown is at his best when playing at the 2. He's mobile enough to stay in front of explosive guards on defense. At the same time, he's taller than most SGs, hence he can shoot over them or take them to the basket.

Generally speaking, the C's are built around two switchable wings in Tatum and Brown. We wanna maximize their effectiveness on both sides of the ball, hence we run a switch-heavy defensive scheme. With this in mind, here's what I'd be looking for.

PG: Oversized, pass-first PG who's happy to play off the ball on offense. For instance, Cade Cunningham, Lonzo, Brogdon, Jrue Holiday, Satoransky, prime George Hill. Smart fits the bill as well. Not exactly a pass-first player, but he's a willing passer, that's for sure.

SG: Brown

SF: 3+D swing. For instance, OG Anunoby, Joe Ingles, De'Andre Hunter, Otto Porter Jr. Alternatively, a Point Forward. For instance, Hayward, Middleton, Kawhi (he can do everything, literally the perfect fit), Kyle Anderson, Joe Ingles (fits both descriptions), Harrison Barnes (not exactly a Point Forward, but certainly an above average passer for a swing), Tobias Harris (again, above average passer). Theoretically, Fournier is expected to fill this role. Personally speaking, I don't like his defense.

PF: Tatum

C: Tatum scores plenty of his points out of the PnR. We need an elite screener to set him up on offense. Ideally, an elite roller/popper as well. We also need a switchable big who can play D on the perimeter. Some names that come to mind: Bam Adebayo, Christian Wood, Ben Simmons (yes, at Center), Jarrett Allen, Clint Capela, Richaun Holmes, Daniel Theis, Khem Birch, Onyeka Okongwu, prime Horford, prime Ibaka.

[Birdman]

Lonzo Ball would be perfect on this team

[trickybilly]

Yeah, I'd be happy with Lonzo. I like his attitude. Smart would be furious though.

[Moranis]

Brogdon
Brown
Tatum
Collins
Wood

Something like that when using non-all star type players.

[pearljammer10]

Like many others said, Lonzo Ball is the PG I want here.

I think that Kyle Anderson is a realistic target too.

Ball/Brown/Tatum/Anderson/Horford is a nice starting five.

We need a dog though. A physical tough guy to do the dirty work. A Crowder, a PJ Tucker, a Morris, even a guy like Beverley (but not Beverley), someone cut out of that mold would go a long way.

[slamtheking]

Ball wouldn't be a bad addition provided his offense improves where he's not a liability that doesn't need to be guarded.  better passer and ball handler than Smart but not as good a defender.

Kyle Anderson seems a reasonable target and has a good skillset.

If they're able to clear the cap space for a big FA in a couple of years, Jokic would be ideal and Beal would be a solid back up plan.

[td450]

If I could have anyone:

Just one year:
Jrue Holliday
Brown
Tatum
Jimmy Butler
Nikola Jokic


Long term:

Tyrese Halliburton
Brown
Tatum
Cade Cunningham
Bam Adebayo

[jambr380]

What in the world is the fascination with Lonzo Ball? He has gone from slightly underrated to severely overrated. The dude was on a team that just finished 10 games under .500. That team included Zion, Ingram, Adams, and Bledsoe - not amazing, but decent enough looking on the surface.

I feel like the people who want Lonzo like the idea of him more than the actual player. Like, they look at his stats and highlights, but don't realize his flaws. Smart and Lonzo actually have extremely similar stats if you want to go down that road, except Lonzo shot 4.8% better from 3 last season (previous 3 years, they are almost exactly the same).

[Jvalin]

What in the world is the fascination with Lonzo Ball? He has gone from slightly underrated to severely overrated. The dude was on a team that just finished 10 games under .500. That team included Zion, Ingram, Adams, and Bledsoe - not amazing, but decent enough looking on the surface.

I feel like the people who want Lonzo like the idea of him more than the actual player. Like, they look at his stats and highlights, but don't realize his flaws. Smart and Lonzo actually have extremely similar stats if you want to go down that road, except Lonzo shot 4.8% better from 3 last season (previous 3 years, they are almost exactly the same).

It's all about the fit. Most posters agree we'd be better off with an oversized, pass-first PG who's happy to play off the ball alonside the Jays. Lonzo fits this description to a tee. He's also a free agent this offseason. Since we swapped Kemba for Horford, we might have enough room to go after Lonzo via a sign and trade.

Personally speaking, I hate the off-court drama that comes with Lonzo. But that's just me. Basketball-wise, I think he'd be a great fit on the C's.

[Vermont Green]

I don't get the Lonzo Ball love either.  Even if you concede that he is a little better than Smart (and I am not sure that is the case), it is still only a very small improvement over Smart.  You can also I guess expect a higher ceiling from Ball over Smart but I am not sure about that either.  Why bother for such as small improvement?

Kyle Anderson comes up a lot.  I have to admit lack of familiarity with this game/team role.  He is listed at 6'-9" and as a SF.  Can he play as a PF or would we expect that he would at least be a Swing (Marcus Morris or Thad Young type)?  If he is just a SF/wing, I see no need to pursue him.  Is the idea to get him over Fournier?  But if he becomes part of our PF rotation, he should be an improvement over GWill and Ojeleye but do we know for sure he is any better than Parker (perhaps more durable but better?) if forced to play PF for the Celtics?    Parker averaged 16 pts/7 Rebs as a starter for Atl in 2019/20 (albeit in only 23 games).

[td450]

What in the world is the fascination with Lonzo Ball? He has gone from slightly underrated to severely overrated. The dude was on a team that just finished 10 games under .500. That team included Zion, Ingram, Adams, and Bledsoe - not amazing, but decent enough looking on the surface.

I feel like the people who want Lonzo like the idea of him more than the actual player. Like, they look at his stats and highlights, but don't realize his flaws. Smart and Lonzo actually have extremely similar stats if you want to go down that road, except Lonzo shot 4.8% better from 3 last season (previous 3 years, they are almost exactly the same).

Compared to Marcus Smart:

He's not quite the defender, but very good. He shoots about the same amount, but is a bit more efficient and probably can  improve more. He's a considerably better passer, and he's particularly good in transition, which Smart just isn't. With our wings, this is a priority.

He does not pound the rock. He's a flow guy. And he's very long and still very young.

He does exactly what the C's really need form a point guard, but doesn't get in the way.

[jambr380]

What in the world is the fascination with Lonzo Ball? He has gone from slightly underrated to severely overrated. The dude was on a team that just finished 10 games under .500. That team included Zion, Ingram, Adams, and Bledsoe - not amazing, but decent enough looking on the surface.

I feel like the people who want Lonzo like the idea of him more than the actual player. Like, they look at his stats and highlights, but don't realize his flaws. Smart and Lonzo actually have extremely similar stats if you want to go down that road, except Lonzo shot 4.8% better from 3 last season (previous 3 years, they are almost exactly the same).

It's all about the fit. Most posters agree we'd be better off with an oversized, pass-first PG who's happy to play off the ball alonside the Jays. Lonzo fits this description to a tee. He's also a free agent this offseason. Since we swapped Kemba for Horford, we might have enough room to go after Lonzo via a sign and trade.

Personally speaking, I hate the off-court drama that comes with Lonzo. But that's just me. Basketball-wise, I think he'd be a great fit on the C's.

He's always come off as a little passive to me and his strength lies primarily in the open court. He doesn't even really give you any more passing than Smart and I'll take Smart's grit and killer attitude over Ball's finesse any day. I also think Lonzo is about to get $25M/yr this offseason - he is hitting FA at exactly the perfect time. It isn't just Celtics fans - everybody is talking about him.

[td450]

What in the world is the fascination with Lonzo Ball? He has gone from slightly underrated to severely overrated. The dude was on a team that just finished 10 games under .500. That team included Zion, Ingram, Adams, and Bledsoe - not amazing, but decent enough looking on the surface.

I feel like the people who want Lonzo like the idea of him more than the actual player. Like, they look at his stats and highlights, but don't realize his flaws. Smart and Lonzo actually have extremely similar stats if you want to go down that road, except Lonzo shot 4.8% better from 3 last season (previous 3 years, they are almost exactly the same).

It's all about the fit. Most posters agree we'd be better off with an oversized, pass-first PG who's happy to play off the ball alonside the Jays. Lonzo fits this description to a tee. He's also a free agent this offseason. Since we swapped Kemba for Horford, we might have enough room to go after Lonzo via a sign and trade.

Personally speaking, I hate the off-court drama that comes with Lonzo. But that's just me. Basketball-wise, I think he'd be a great fit on the C's.

He's always come off as a little passive to me and his strength lies primarily in the open court. He doesn't even really give you any more passing than Smart and I'll take Smart's grit and killer attitude over Ball's finesse any day. I also think Lonzo is about to get $25M/yr this offseason - he is hitting FA at exactly the perfect time. It isn't just Celtics fans - everybody is talking about him.

Smart's killer attitude is exactly why I'd prefer Ball. Smart isn't good enough to have that attitude on offense. Someone has to be a 4th or 5th option, and its better if they know it.

Pushing in transition is a no brainer for this team, and it is a huge reason why Smart isn't the right guy long term. How can you build a team around Tatum and Brown and not push the pace? They are two of the league's best finishers. It is the easiest way to improve.