Tatum's biggest problems are LeBron & Durant. They are taking his minutes and role at the PF position which is the position he is ideally suited for in International play. Just like Melo was as well.
Tatum hasn't play well at SF. He has struggled with his ball-handling. He hasn't been able to get enough dribble penetration. He has struggled with his passing. The passing angles and timing are different in International ball because of the shorter three point line. The court is more compressed. Many guys struggle with that. Tatum has struggled with it. On top of thhose two elements, Tatum has also struggled to hit his outside shot in the warmup games. A continuation of his playoff struggles with his three point shot.
I also think he is having a tough time mentally figuring out his role / how to play. He isn't being aggressive enough looking to score like Durant or Melo. He is trying to be an all-rounder and playmaker which is obviously an issue when he isn't getting enough dribble penetration and struggling with his passing. It is wrecking his game. He needs to be more aggressive looking to score. Forget about being a playmaker. Just score. Like Melo. Like Durant. Like Barkley did on Team USA. Just attack.
Tatum has only scored well around the rim mostly off of cuts and off of post ups with fadeaways from 14-18 feet.
The truth is he only has himself to blame for being out of the rotation. He played badly in the warmup games. He got a chance to start instead of D Booker in at least 1 if not 2 of the games and failed to take the opportunity.
I don't have high expectations for Tatum in this tournament. I think he will be a 7th-10th best player on the roster.
I wouldn't go that far saying his game is wrecked. It is international basketball. I expect we see a very good Tatum as the NBA season gets back going
Plenty of other Team USA guys have failed to look good also. Booker has been abysmal. Embiid is awful. Edwards just is a volume shooter. Heck...even Curry has been underwhelming.
Steve Kerr loves the 3 guard line up which takes a wing off the floor. As for his role, I put some of this on Kerr also. Seems to be mixed messages coming from him when he refuses to address the biggest issue in the room which is Embiid. Embiid continues to play poorly and is rewarded.
But I think his hands are tied because Grant Hill made a deal for Embiid to start.
What I see in Tatum is:
He has adapted his game for the Celtics to become more of a playmaker. To be more of an all-round player. This has led to two problems for him on this Team USA
(1) His playmaking has not translated to International ball. The dimensions of the court are different. The three point line is shorter. Defenders recover and close gaps quicker. The timing of passes and angles of passes are different. Tatum has struggled with this. This has led to too many turnovers from him. Booker is another guy who has struggled with this but he has responded by cutting down on his playmaking and is not making bad plays as a result. Tatum on the other hand has not adjusted and is making bad plays.
(2) Team USA does not need another playmaker. They have plenty of playmaking in the backcourt with Jrue, D White, Steph and Ant. Then they have LeBron as their primary playmaker at point forward. They need scorers.
Guys who embrace this scoring role will succeed. Tatum needs to adjust his game. Simplify his game. Be more a scorer and less a playmaker. Look for his shot. Hunt shots. Attack.
He has failed to do this.
I not worried at all about Tatum's struggles in terms of the Celtics. His playmaking troubles are entirely down to the different rules / court dimensions of International basketball. They are not a factor for Tatum when he returns to Boston for next season.
