I don't really know what the OP's original trigger point was. I will say that the IST game did kind of serve as, for lack of a better term, a "wakeup call" for C's fans that think Tatum can reach MVP status. We saw a younger, more dynamic offensive rising superstar in Haliburton with a much inferior supporting cast make all the right decisions, hit the big shots, and be able to find and hit the right passes. Being an efficient shooter and making his teammates better is something Cs fans have been waiting for Tatum to improve on, even with our lowered expectations over multiple seasons.
I can't help but think that's why the disappointment of the loss stung a little more. It wasn't just the loss of a fun opportunity to go to Vegas and be in a competitive, fun experience. It was a reminder that some skills on the basketball court seem to be innate and can't simply be learned with more experience or improved supporting casts.
I've said it ad nauseum, but if Tatum is going to be the best version of himself he has to be an efficiency monster. He's never going to average 8-10 assists a game, it's just not him. However, if he's just a pure scorer then he can't be an inefficient one. He can't be a 35% from 3 guy, it's just bad offense. Not just that, but he needs to be able to finish inside more consistently because he's freakin' 6'9''. It's really that simple.
Sure. But in the past 5 games that Indy team also lost to Miami (7th seed) by 10, to Portland (14th seed) by 4, and to Toronto (11th seed) by 1. Where was Haliburton with his game winning decision / shot making in those games?
By comparison in the past 5 games we have lost one to Indiana (6th seed) by 10 and one to Orlando (3rd seed) by 17. I was frustrated by both of those losses, but you know what? I'd rather have two losses to top 6 teams in the east rather than have two losses to lottery teams and one to a fringe playoff team.
I like Haliburton - he's looking spectacular this year. In fact if I had to list guys in this league who I feel would best pairs with Tatum he would probably be in the top 2 or 3 - his playmaking, shooting and all-round efficiently would make him an amazing compliment to Tatum.
But if I have to pick between Tatum and Haliburton right now, I'm taking Tatum. You see, this is Haliburton's 4th season in the NBA, he's 23 years old. Do you know how many playoff games he's played? Zero. Not one. By age 23 Tatum was in his 5th NBA season and had never missed the playoffs as long as he had been in the league. by that point he had already played in 74 playoff games, with overall playoff stats of 229 points, 6.8 reb, 4.4 ast on 44% / 37%, 82% shooting an dan overall playoff record of 41-33 (0.554).
Tatum has the experience and he's proven himself in many playoff games. Haliburton has not. By all means he may come out in the next year or two and show that he's a monster in the clutch and the ultimate playoff killer, but we just don't know yet.
I don't think finishing inside is an issue for Tatum either, especially this year. He's shooting a career highs of 75% on shots inside 3 feet (he's been above 73% for 4 straight seasons) which is exceptional, especially for a wing. He's also shooting 42% from 3-10 feet (has been above 41% for four straight seasons now).
To put it into perspective Lebron for his career has shot 74% inside 3 feet and 42% from 3-10 feet, and Embiid for his career has shot 74% from inside 3 feet and 42% from 3-10 feet. Kyrie for his career has shot 62% inside 3 feet and 44% from 3-10 feet.
So Tatum's finishing inside 10 feet has been competitive with guys like Lebron, Kyrie and Embiid - three of the best inside scorers in the entire league.
Where Tatum has struggled moreso in the past is from midrnage, where he's been shooting 39% for his career on midrange jumpers. So far this year he's improved that dramatically and is shooting 50% from midrange, which is absolutely elite.
His three-point shooting has been wildly inconsistent unfortunately, but the upside is that from everywhere other than three he's been absolutely elite this year.