Celtics slot Tatum at the 4 and sometimes 5 so they can play small with Brown, White and Jrue. Without him, it’ll be more difficult for them run their small ball game. Brown can command the back court and Tatum takes care of the front court. Tatum is a great all around player. Brown and Tatum is a great duo.
they almost never play tatum at the 5. He sometimes guards 5s but he is not great at being a rim protector. They went to small ball once in the finals and it was disaster and had to call a timeout to get horford back in. They tried it a few times and it just has not been great. Tatum struggles to be the low man on defense.
That lineup was awful at the finals , I think if tatum get more reps at the 5 he can do it. It was the first time all season if I remember correctly that they played that lineup.
They played that lineup vs the Pacers and it actually did pretty well if I remember right. Tatum is definitely not a natural big man but in spot minutes he's a pretty damn good rim protector for a forward.
A lot of that had to do with Turner not playing like a traditional center so Tatum matched up pretty well with him. Once he had to face centers that played almost exclusively under the basket it was more of a struggle.
That one minute of small ball is so funny in retrospect, like they took out Al and got outscored 9-2 before sending him back out. Shit gave me a heart attack
I know they’ve almost never done it but I legit think Tatum can be a small ball center. Jerami Grant was one of my favorite players in the league for the small ball 5 stuff with.. the Thunder?
I know they have different bodies but if a big wing like Grant can do it, I think Tatum could learn to do it pretty well, and abuse the opposing team on the other end.
And Steph has the same type of skills where he could legit do anything asked of him in college. Obviously don't see him ever getting to Tatums level but could absolutely seeing him have a very similar overall game if he develops his shot.
There was a YT video floating around recently where a guy was asking young kids at a bball camp who “Melo” is and like 90% of the kids said Lamelo Ball. Felt really old watching that
Everyone does in the regular season. Tatum can't play the point to the level of Lebron, he can't ball handle to the level of Lebron. He can't defend the paint or a true big in the post as well as Lebron due to lack of muscle. It's debatable if he is a better shooter than Lebron right now. Lebron is still more athletic and stronger than Tatum.
LeBron has a higher 2pt FG%, which is all that matters, it doesn't matter if Tatum shoots a higher 2pt FG% from <3ft inside the 3pt line or <6ft inside the 3pt line, any 2pt FG is worth 2pts, and Lebron shoots them at a higher percentage.
This is a pretty brazen moving goalpost. If we're comparing them as shooters/floor-spacers, then finishing at the rim is not pertinent. Moreover, shot-profiles also matter. Rudy Gobert is never in these discussions for a reason.
Tatum shoots a considerably higher percentage from 10 feet to 23 feet. He also average three more three-point attempts per game. He's a considerably greater threat when spacing the floor than LeBron. Moreover, when he's fouled, he's much more capable of converting at the line.
I still think LeBron is the better _overall_ player because his scoring and playmaking are elite, but he's not the complete two-way package that Tatum is right now
i mean he *is* kind of corny, i just don't get why that bothers people so much. like you don't have to like him but it's a weird thing to complain about
You can find worse things to say about the character of 90% of the players in this league than "corny." Just admit you hate him cause he wears green, it's far more honest and you don't look like an idiot when I open your comment history and find how thrilled you were that Miles Bridges (just to name one example I've seen from someone calling JT corny) came back.
People like unique, interesting characters, it's not that confusing.
NBA fans have always cared about player image. Maybe that's weird, but we're all guilty of it.
Well yeah, Tim Duncan is arguably the best power forward of all time. It becomes easier to love players when they are undeniably brilliant for over a decade.
But Duncan is actually a good example of what I was talking about - his unspectacular play style and quiet personality meant he was never that popular relative to his success.
Jimmy Butler is cornier than both of them but he gets talked about like he’s MJ. Tatum is more flat out boring personality-wise than corny, but the Kobe stuff kind of stuck him with that reputation.
he's only corny if you compare him to Kobe; if you look at other players around the league like Jimmy Butler than Tatum is straight cool like Miles Davis
JT is so good looking he triggers peoples insecurities. easier to do fanfiction and make things up about him than accept that they'll never be as hot as him.
Bro what 💀
I don’t think there’s a single person out there that doesn’t like him because he is “hot” and they are jealous LMAO
What a weird ass thing to say
Yup, I was at -10 downvotes on my comment originally. Glad some people not crazy finally hopped in this thread
Oh well they gave me a good circle jerk to post 😂
Imagine being so desperate to justify why your star player is unlikeable that you convince yourself that it’s because they’re too good looking 💀
Sounds like me trying to justify my dating track record
Third most actually. And no way - the superstar on one of the most popular teams sells lots of jerseys? That’s crazy.. and hardly correlated to likeability. How many fans buy jerseys of opposing teams superstars because they’re likeable?
But yes, please do tell me why many NBA fans that find him unlikeable are actually incorrect and deep down find him likeable, purely because of jersey sale stats lol. I guess Devin Booker is also super likeable to people other than Suns fans because he sells lots of jerseys too
then why do they fabricate reasons to shit on him?? the weird "plagiarizer" narrative for example is nothing but fanfiction. people are jealous of him. and it's ok. we're all human and it's natural to feel insecure and jealous sometimes. jt clearly has that effect on a lot of people here
I'm sorry but if that's all you have to complain about the dude, it's just kinda sad at this point. Oh no, while emotional and celebrating the greatest achievement in basketball, he got amped and did a similar celebration to other greats.
of course he's corny. he's a father. everyone knows you become 5x cornier when you become a dad. the fixation on his celebrations was weirdo behavior tho. literally everything he did people found a problem with. clear jealousy🤷🏻♀️
youll probably like listening to Castle on the knuckleheads pod
says he grew up rooting for the Celtics, bc he was rooting for Jaylen Brown (both from Atlanta). then says he's never actually met/talked to him, so Quentin and Darius put the word out that Jaylen should reach out to Stephon
https://youtu.be/fTM-HtCXqJw
Some reporter asked Wemby about having watched David Robinson. He kinda just sidestepped the question, but it’s not too difficult to do the math and realize Robinson was before Wemby was even born 🤣
Time moves fast
? You always root for the hometown guys succeeding. Especially athletes because it shows them they can make it from the same starting to the same destination
He is in the same archetype of Tatum in terms of being a wing-facillitator.
2030 Finals be like: The Jays tries to conquer the Wembanyama Castle. You heard it here first.
Such a Spur player. No franchise in history has done such a great job picking players that buy into the “ Spurs way” They’re respectful, dedicated and humble. I believe Leonard was a Spur personality as well, but his injury fractured the trust, and the weird uncle whispering in his ear didn’t help matters. That was one of the biggest mistakes in Spur history, they dropped the ball on Leonard, and paid dearly, but luck is always with the franchise and welcome Wemby and now Castle
I kinda think UConn under Hurley is turning into a spurs factory. Clingan had some awesome quotes the other day about “I didn’t shoot more because coach told me what to do to win” and he said he would rather get a block than a dunk because “offense gets paid, defense wins chips”. That’s the most spurs shit ever lmao
We need to start talking about Tatum the same way we do with Bron. He’s obviously not at Bron’s level but he’s probably the closest modern player we have to him when it comes to versatility.
I think it's because Tatum didn't start as such a good facilitator. He came into the league and got recognition for his scoring. When he broke out as a definitive star in the 19-20 season it was due to his elite 3 point shooting and scoring as well as defense. Now he's bulked up and shifted his game to being much more rim focused as well as more focused on facilitating and because that's not what he broke out for doing people are unwilling to credit him for it.
Luka’s offense is closer to Bron’s as far as being helio and having god tier court awareness, but Tatum is one of the league’s better high usage passers also. Meanwhile, Luka’s offensive game has zero of Bron’s explosiveness and rim pressure, and of course little to no comparison to Bron on defense. Tatum’s game has both of these elements, albeit not quite at Bron’s level. Overall I would say Tatum’s game is more similar to Bron’s in terms of being elite or near-elite in all facets of play.
Jokic is very different from Bron, not seeing that comp much at all.
Why would we talk about him with the same respect if he's not at Lebron's level? It took Tatum 6 years to hit 30.1 ppg while LeBron hit 31.4 at 21 years old(3rd year) when the average scoring was at 97 ppg compared to 110.6 ppg for 2022-23
I agree he's the closest thing to LeBron in the NBA but that's more because of their body type, play style, and position. And I'm not even a LeBron fan tbh lol.
Was this after the draft, if so get rid of this guy? I want someone who will pick a Spur as their favorite player after they've just been drafted by the Spurs. I bet Dillingham would have named a Spur! /s
i already felt old this makes me feel ancient
it's crazy he just finished his 7th season in the league. Honestly, that's right around the time most guys win their first title.
Castle was in elementary school when Tatum was drafted…
My bones are turning to dust
Huh? The car is rust? Speak up, I can't hear you. I gotta go watch 'Hot Bench's then go to the bank
You’re a year off
Celtics slot Tatum at the 4 and sometimes 5 so they can play small with Brown, White and Jrue. Without him, it’ll be more difficult for them run their small ball game. Brown can command the back court and Tatum takes care of the front court. Tatum is a great all around player. Brown and Tatum is a great duo.
In the finals he was guarding the opposing center like a 5 on defense and initiating the offense like a 1. Under appreciated versatility
they almost never play tatum at the 5. He sometimes guards 5s but he is not great at being a rim protector. They went to small ball once in the finals and it was disaster and had to call a timeout to get horford back in. They tried it a few times and it just has not been great. Tatum struggles to be the low man on defense.
That lineup was awful at the finals , I think if tatum get more reps at the 5 he can do it. It was the first time all season if I remember correctly that they played that lineup.
They played that lineup vs the Pacers and it actually did pretty well if I remember right. Tatum is definitely not a natural big man but in spot minutes he's a pretty damn good rim protector for a forward.
A lot of that had to do with Turner not playing like a traditional center so Tatum matched up pretty well with him. Once he had to face centers that played almost exclusively under the basket it was more of a struggle.
The Mavs bigs are so vertical and aggressive, it’s also just not the best idea to try and smallball on them
That one minute of small ball is so funny in retrospect, like they took out Al and got outscored 9-2 before sending him back out. Shit gave me a heart attack
I know they’ve almost never done it but I legit think Tatum can be a small ball center. Jerami Grant was one of my favorite players in the league for the small ball 5 stuff with.. the Thunder? I know they have different bodies but if a big wing like Grant can do it, I think Tatum could learn to do it pretty well, and abuse the opposing team on the other end.
I like you.
Not to be cliche but r/NBA in shambles
"tatum will never win a ring"
“Carried”
Let’s keep it a buck tho, that team was so good that you can replace Tatum with any star and they would will win a chip
That's just silly to discount his distributing and rebounding
They’re a heat fan, of course they’re gonna be silly
“He’s so elite! Didn’t you see his passing and rebounding?”
Didn’t you see the championship trophy? That’s all that matters, bb. Enjoy the traffic to the empty stadium.
I hear during offseason they drop confetti daily in Phili to practice for the play-in loss.
I hear they do the same in Dallas when they’re 3-1!
This but unironically. He’s the most complete player in the league outside maybe Giannis
Smokin_on_Heat_Pack
I guess we’re saying Jimmy’s not a star player anymore
Nah. Any superstar and maybe you’d be right. But any ordinary star? Not a chance.
Heat fan with a 76ers user name , the fuck is this .
That's not a sixers name lol
I'm old , what is the meaning ?
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=smoking%20that%20*%20pack
Celtics literally could’ve won that ring without Tatum being on the roster
I love when people on this subreddit openly say "I don't watch games, I just watch the box score"
Even if you watch the boxscore that's a dumb take , Tatum lead the C's in most categories .
Same guys were picking Mavs in 6 I stg you can’t make it up
Alot of them picked Mavs in 5 . "CELTICS ArE NoT BaTtLe TeStEd" , like the last 6 years never happened .
"and I can't be bothered playing a video where someone paid to study basketball talks about the nuances of it either…"
Tatum led the team in box score stats too so they're really just hating
And yet, no other team won and they certainly didn’t have a Tatum on the roster.
Knick fan big sad. Enjoy winning the offseason championship!
How are you not already working in an NBA front office with that massive basketball IQ brain of yours?
He really is the most versatile player in the NBA right now hands down.
And Steph has the same type of skills where he could legit do anything asked of him in college. Obviously don't see him ever getting to Tatums level but could absolutely seeing him have a very similar overall game if he develops his shot.
Calling him steph really confused me for a minute.
Right??! Its like calling Mark Jackson MJ - there is only ONE Steph.
It’s like calling Jordan Clarkson “Dr. J”
Just call him Jordan
I'll call Dee Reynolds 'Bird'
or Jordan lmao
I still can’t with people calling LaMelo Melo
There was a YT video floating around recently where a guy was asking young kids at a bball camp who “Melo” is and like 90% of the kids said Lamelo Ball. Felt really old watching that
Nah man Curry can switch onto centers no problem
I mean he guarded Al in the post in the finals
understandable, I'm a UConn fan so didn't even cross my mind lol
Still LeBron imo.
LeBron takes entire quarters off on defense
Everyone does in the regular season. Tatum can't play the point to the level of Lebron, he can't ball handle to the level of Lebron. He can't defend the paint or a true big in the post as well as Lebron due to lack of muscle. It's debatable if he is a better shooter than Lebron right now. Lebron is still more athletic and stronger than Tatum.
From the three-point line, it's close. Everywhere else, Tatum is clearly the better shooter
LeBron has a higher 2pt FG%, which is all that matters, it doesn't matter if Tatum shoots a higher 2pt FG% from <3ft inside the 3pt line or <6ft inside the 3pt line, any 2pt FG is worth 2pts, and Lebron shoots them at a higher percentage.
This is a pretty brazen moving goalpost. If we're comparing them as shooters/floor-spacers, then finishing at the rim is not pertinent. Moreover, shot-profiles also matter. Rudy Gobert is never in these discussions for a reason. Tatum shoots a considerably higher percentage from 10 feet to 23 feet. He also average three more three-point attempts per game. He's a considerably greater threat when spacing the floor than LeBron. Moreover, when he's fouled, he's much more capable of converting at the line. I still think LeBron is the better _overall_ player because his scoring and playmaking are elite, but he's not the complete two-way package that Tatum is right now
r/nba: yeah but he's corny and loves his kid
i mean he *is* kind of corny, i just don't get why that bothers people so much. like you don't have to like him but it's a weird thing to complain about
You can find worse things to say about the character of 90% of the players in this league than "corny." Just admit you hate him cause he wears green, it's far more honest and you don't look like an idiot when I open your comment history and find how thrilled you were that Miles Bridges (just to name one example I've seen from someone calling JT corny) came back.
People like unique, interesting characters, it's not that confusing. NBA fans have always cared about player image. Maybe that's weird, but we're all guilty of it.
Eh, both sides are great. I loved Tim Duncan and KG.
Tim Duncan always had something a little weird and interesting going on under the memed stoicism though
Well yeah, Tim Duncan is arguably the best power forward of all time. It becomes easier to love players when they are undeniably brilliant for over a decade. But Duncan is actually a good example of what I was talking about - his unspectacular play style and quiet personality meant he was never that popular relative to his success.
Lebron being corny: Flirting Tatum being corny: Harrassment r/nba in a nutshell
Jimmy Butler is cornier than both of them but he gets talked about like he’s MJ. Tatum is more flat out boring personality-wise than corny, but the Kobe stuff kind of stuck him with that reputation.
My favorite player’s favorite fan’s favorite fan.
"corny" Boston superstar [who loves their son](https://youtu.be/_wzLQAmfneU?si=FQ_NJEUC1WqwP13N), where have I heard that before ....
We did it!!!!!!
he's only corny if you compare him to Kobe; if you look at other players around the league like Jimmy Butler than Tatum is straight cool like Miles Davis
What makes Jimmy corny?
unfortunately you cant share pictures here but I am sure you can figure it out using google images
JT is so good looking he triggers peoples insecurities. easier to do fanfiction and make things up about him than accept that they'll never be as hot as him.
no offense to JT but he's like the fourth prettiest dude on the team at best
Yup behind Derrick White, Jordan Walsh, and Luke Kornet
I can’t believe you forgot Xavier Tillman
my list is JB horford and d white.
well the celtics do run deep in the looks department
Bro what 💀 I don’t think there’s a single person out there that doesn’t like him because he is “hot” and they are jealous LMAO What a weird ass thing to say
I know you’re turned on rn
Why would I be turned on?
Holy shit he’s got a boner
Ha
celtics infested this thread they think people hate jt because hes "hot" LOL
Tell that to my erotic Tatum fiction
They ain't ever seen a shirtless interview Tatum
me in the Celtics locker room 🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵
Yup, I was at -10 downvotes on my comment originally. Glad some people not crazy finally hopped in this thread Oh well they gave me a good circle jerk to post 😂
Imagine being so desperate to justify why your star player is unlikeable that you convince yourself that it’s because they’re too good looking 💀 Sounds like me trying to justify my dating track record
Unlikeable? Mfer sold the second most jerseys in the league lol.
Third most actually. And no way - the superstar on one of the most popular teams sells lots of jerseys? That’s crazy.. and hardly correlated to likeability. How many fans buy jerseys of opposing teams superstars because they’re likeable? But yes, please do tell me why many NBA fans that find him unlikeable are actually incorrect and deep down find him likeable, purely because of jersey sale stats lol. I guess Devin Booker is also super likeable to people other than Suns fans because he sells lots of jerseys too
then why do they fabricate reasons to shit on him?? the weird "plagiarizer" narrative for example is nothing but fanfiction. people are jealous of him. and it's ok. we're all human and it's natural to feel insecure and jealous sometimes. jt clearly has that effect on a lot of people here
I just don’t think it has absolutely anything to do with his looks lmao
hes boring and corny just look at his celebration hes got zero personality lmao WE DID IT!!!
I'm sorry but if that's all you have to complain about the dude, it's just kinda sad at this point. Oh no, while emotional and celebrating the greatest achievement in basketball, he got amped and did a similar celebration to other greats.
of course he's corny. he's a father. everyone knows you become 5x cornier when you become a dad. the fixation on his celebrations was weirdo behavior tho. literally everything he did people found a problem with. clear jealousy🤷🏻♀️
What a diabolically strange thing to say💀💀
Celtics fans when their players aren’t unanimously loved by everyone: 😮
What fan base likes having their best player hated on? You got examples?
it's ok. we know ya'll are just jealous of jt
I knew I liked this guy. Good pick San Antonio.
youll probably like listening to Castle on the knuckleheads pod says he grew up rooting for the Celtics, bc he was rooting for Jaylen Brown (both from Atlanta). then says he's never actually met/talked to him, so Quentin and Darius put the word out that Jaylen should reach out to Stephon https://youtu.be/fTM-HtCXqJw
Its crazy to hear prospects talk about growing up watching Jaylen Brown...
Same here. 'growing up watching' should end with players like Tim Duncan or Kobe. But we are old now. Turns out when Brown is draft Castle is 11.
Some reporter asked Wemby about having watched David Robinson. He kinda just sidestepped the question, but it’s not too difficult to do the math and realize Robinson was before Wemby was even born 🤣 Time moves fast
Hawks down so bad Atlanta kids root for guys from the city rather than the team bruh
? You always root for the hometown guys succeeding. Especially athletes because it shows them they can make it from the same starting to the same destination
As a Toronto native that has watched a million more OKC games than Raptors games this season, I can relate lmao
He is in the same archetype of Tatum in terms of being a wing-facillitator. 2030 Finals be like: The Jays tries to conquer the Wembanyama Castle. You heard it here first.
Nah hes a guard so more like Jrue
A Celtics-Spurs Finals would be interesting since the Celtics are yet to lose to a Texas team in the Finals.
6’6” vs 6’8”
Pretty sure Tatum is 6’10 now
7'1 and growing
He’s def smarter than r/nba
[r/nba whenever Tatum does anything](https://streamable.com/zjmu95)
yessir, more impactful than ad. most underrated actual superstar
Yea yea that's cool, bro. but can jayson tatum tie a shoe?
Can we get this kid on the Derick White timeline?
no 😡
In fact give him back
No
Such a Spur player. No franchise in history has done such a great job picking players that buy into the “ Spurs way” They’re respectful, dedicated and humble. I believe Leonard was a Spur personality as well, but his injury fractured the trust, and the weird uncle whispering in his ear didn’t help matters. That was one of the biggest mistakes in Spur history, they dropped the ball on Leonard, and paid dearly, but luck is always with the franchise and welcome Wemby and now Castle
I kinda think UConn under Hurley is turning into a spurs factory. Clingan had some awesome quotes the other day about “I didn’t shoot more because coach told me what to do to win” and he said he would rather get a block than a dunk because “offense gets paid, defense wins chips”. That’s the most spurs shit ever lmao
I agree
Kinda looks like T.I.
We need to start talking about Tatum the same way we do with Bron. He’s obviously not at Bron’s level but he’s probably the closest modern player we have to him when it comes to versatility.
I think it's because Tatum didn't start as such a good facilitator. He came into the league and got recognition for his scoring. When he broke out as a definitive star in the 19-20 season it was due to his elite 3 point shooting and scoring as well as defense. Now he's bulked up and shifted his game to being much more rim focused as well as more focused on facilitating and because that's not what he broke out for doing people are unwilling to credit him for it.
Getting downvoted for speaking facts smh
Jokic and Luka are more like LeBron than Tatum is
They really aren't at all. Just because they put up lots of assists doesn't mean they play like Lebron.
Luka’s offense is closer to Bron’s as far as being helio and having god tier court awareness, but Tatum is one of the league’s better high usage passers also. Meanwhile, Luka’s offensive game has zero of Bron’s explosiveness and rim pressure, and of course little to no comparison to Bron on defense. Tatum’s game has both of these elements, albeit not quite at Bron’s level. Overall I would say Tatum’s game is more similar to Bron’s in terms of being elite or near-elite in all facets of play. Jokic is very different from Bron, not seeing that comp much at all.
For every action there is an overreaction.
Lmfao get out of here bro.
yeah we're not gonna do that
Tatum closer to Bron than Ant is to MJ.
neither are close to either player
No one said anything about Aunt or MJ
Why would we talk about him with the same respect if he's not at Lebron's level? It took Tatum 6 years to hit 30.1 ppg while LeBron hit 31.4 at 21 years old(3rd year) when the average scoring was at 97 ppg compared to 110.6 ppg for 2022-23 I agree he's the closest thing to LeBron in the NBA but that's more because of their body type, play style, and position. And I'm not even a LeBron fan tbh lol.
Rookie knows ball
He knows basketball
People were so busy judging Tatum’s shooting splits that they forgot how great of a playmaker and rebounder he has become.
Tatum is like wtf Am I that old?
Hell yeah
Was this after the draft, if so get rid of this guy? I want someone who will pick a Spur as their favorite player after they've just been drafted by the Spurs. I bet Dillingham would have named a Spur! /s
Tatum is the new PG I’m sick
I feel truly terrible for the post-Bron generation. No one should have to grow up with Jayson Tatum as your favorite player, that’s no childhood
Hey now, it’s progress from Kobe
Absolutely man, totally make sense someone like you enjoys pedophiles more then a corny momma’s boy like Tatum.
You sound unhinged lol
ask him if he thinks tatum can go up another level
i hate this stroking other players ya gonna face in a few months