Jason Tatum looked slower

[rollie mass]

Maybe it was the muscle gain and trying to draw fouls and over power players and he seemed clumsy Not as flexible,fluid and mobile.Then again the refs called a old school physical game.
How confusing is that for players.

[Chef Parish]

According to Doris Burke:

"Tatum was slow and lethargic against the Raptors" Burke said. " The typical fluidity and grace of Tatum was missing...it was Oliver Miller-esque at times."

[Csfan1984]

He looks the same to me as far as speed and coordination. His added strength helps with contact but he still doesn't jump early enough to get the better of guys. As in he still runs into people or on the side of opponents instead of leaping past guys or over guys.

It's more technical than physical approach. I find it weird because usually shifty guards play the game Tatum does, they do not get into the air but being small and crafty they get calls. Tatum should be picking the ball up sooner and finishing way higher. If he looks to pick up the ball sooner you will see less strips, less bad pass attempts in traffic, and more trips to the line. It's similar to when Giannis had his turnover struggles, it was due to driving too deep without making a decision. You have to pass earlier or get to the basket.

[Mahk E Mahk]

Maybe it was the muscle gain and trying to draw fouls and over power players and he seemed clumsy Not as flexible,fluid and mobile.Then again the refs called a old school physical game.
How confusing is that for players.

it’s definitely possible tatum is adjusting to his newly gained muscle.

it’s also possible tatum is just naturally clumsy. he’s seemed clumsy to me since his year at duke, and all through his tenure with the C’s. he trips over his own feet, loses his dribble, flips the ball out of bounds on drives to the basket, etc. all the time. i originally thought it was due to his age and the normal adjustments to a body that’s still growing but he should have outgrown that by 23. it’s definitely bizarre.

[Mahk E Mahk]

not to derail the thread but doris has become the premier color commentator in the nba. she knows the game, is articulate, knows when to shut up, and pulls no punches.

[SHAQATTACK]

He absolutely is playing slow ….just like Grant looked last year.   

The weight is not helping him ,  it’s killing his game big time .  He looks totally out of sorts to mr . His timing is all off …passing , dribbling, lift , release ….he has messed himself up big time .  And now it’s going to get mental , if he don’t get his body fat down .  As we saw with Hayward’s injury , the smallest amount of change effects everything .  He has lost a minute amount of athletic ability…..which might not show up in everyday life ,  but in the NBA an inch is a mile .

[Celtics4ever]

Guys this is ridiculous, it is not like he put a ton of muscle.   I see a slight difference.   These guys are good athletes anyways, well Grant is not, but 10-15 lbs is nothing to some of these pros.   

We did depth jumps when I played in college with 40 lbs vest, a team mates dared me to try to dunk it with a 40 lb I no stepped two handed it.  He beat me I could not with two vest on and I could still no step two hand dunk.   I put on the third vest and he stopped me saying it was two risky.   I was 6'7"  that ought to show you how silly it is to think 10-15 lbs is slowing Tatum or a pro.  That is right I could stink dunk with 80 lbs.

I think as Shaq put it I think it may have changed his shot mechanics a bit and he is a little off.

[jambr380]

According to Doris Burke:

"Tatum was slow and lethargic against the Raptors" Burke said. " The typical fluidity and grace of Tatum was missing...it was Oliver Miller-esque at times."

That is brutal. Tatum looking up Oliver Miller now and crying himself to sleep.

Obviously that is an exaggeration, but Tatum does need to get his head out of his a$$. We all want him to be top 10...top 5, but he just doesn't hold that type of gravity on the court on a consistent enough basis. Unless of course we are talking gravity in the Oliver Miller meaning of the word.

[moiso]

I don't think Tatum's muscle is slowing him down but he has looked slow and clumsy.  The feet just aren't really moving quickly and decisively, especially if someone gets in his way.  Grant Williams' athleticism has greatly increased in my eyes since his weight loss, however.  He's much quicker and lighter on his feet.  Get's up to the rim much easier this year.

[dannyboy35]

  No Chan e his added muscle has done anything but benefit him. Muscle growth also doesn’t effect your shot other than maybe you have more overall endurance by the end of a game, I dunno. The offense is a mess . He has been shooting poorly and he still hasn’t worked enough on his ball handling. Quick guys get under him snd can bother him. That’s it.

[jambr380]

  No Chan e his added muscle has done anything but benefit him. Muscle growth also doesn’t effect your shot other than maybe you have more overall endurance by the end of a game, I dunno. The offense is a mess . He has been shooting poorly and he still hasn’t worked enough on his ball handling. Quick guys get under him snd can bother him. That’s it.

I don't know how much added muscle weight Tatum actually put on, but that absolutely can affect affect a player in a negative way. Tatum's not a 5'9" running back, he's a really tall guy. Tall people just typically don't move as well as shorter people when they are carrying around extra weight. Again, I'm not saying this about Tatum specifically (I'm sure he'll work out his issues), just that people - especially those that are taller - need to be careful about their overall athleticism when they are adding weight to their frames.

[nickagneta]

Rather than added muscle(he doesn't seem to have added an egregious amount since last year), I wonder how much having to practice with team USA, travel with them and play with them, all while once again staying within a strict Covid protocol affected him.

He played deep into the bubble, had an extremely abbreviated off-season, played a condensed schedule season where he got Covid, played and practiced extensively with Team USA, worked hard in the gym to get bigger, and now looks lethargic.

Could it be that as a 22-24 year old young man, he has not given himself an extended recovery period at all over the last 2+ years and it's now catching up to him?

[footey]

Jayson slows down  to let the refs know he deserved a foul call!

Re-watched the game.  He hasn't slowed down IMO at all.