Celtics Draft Jayson Tatum at #3

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As expected, Tatum was the choice. Let the prognostications start. Did PP the First just land the Celtics PP the Second?
 

Cellar-Door

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he's highly unlikely Pierce, but... if he can improve his efficiency some he could be a Pierce/Melo light on offense and a servicable defender.
 

soxfan121

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Kevin O'Connor, Jonathan Tjarks, and Danny Chau debating Tatum's strengths and weaknesses.

Tatum possesses feel and fluidity at the highest level, and he’s still a pretty good athlete to match. So many players enter the league with a loose handle, but at just 19, Tatum displays advanced maneuvers you’d expect from a long-time pro. If you took every freshman prospect this century and graded them on their footwork at the same age, Tatum would rank in an extremely high percentile. He’s not a springy athlete, but he’s fluid with a quick first step. His body control allows him to twist, bend, and contort his body while attacking. Tatum is silky smooth.
 
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j44thor

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Isn't he a classic tweener? Too small to be a PF and too stiff to cover a 3?
 

bowiac

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I'm not sure being a tweener is really a thing in the modern NBA. His size will be a good thing in some matchups and a problem in others, but that's true of everyone except IT (where it's only a negative).

I think that Tjarks/O'Connor discussion was a good read, and is pretty much on point. He looks like a great iso scorer who is gonna dominate the ball, and take a lot shots. His success or failure is gonna largely depend on whether he can learn to take more efficient shots, and be less of a ball stopper at the next level. It's sort of unclear to me that he has that in him, both for basketball DNA and athleticism reasons, but it's hardly impossible. The line between being Rudy Gay and Paul Pierce is a fine one.
 

Devizier

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Well, there are tons of guys in between those two. To use modern examples, someone like Rashard Lewis comes to mind.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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Seems to me that the Tatum pick signals that DA isn't going to let IT4 walk after this coming year.

We can certainly use someone who can put the ball in the basket. Hopefully he doesn't become Rudy Gay though.
 

bowiac

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Well, there are tons of guys in between those two. To use modern examples, someone like Rashard Lewis comes to mind.
Sure. I just meant that's sort of the extreme ends of the spectrum. Not saying he's either a HOFer or whatever Rudy Gay is.
 

Deathofthebambino

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wade boggs chicken dinner

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Otto Porter 2.0?
No. Porter has no handle and wouldn't be the player he is if he didn't have Wall and Beal break down defenses for him (although he's okay with one-on-one defense).

I'm pretty certain that virtually all of us were clamoring for a second scorer when IT4 wasn't hitting / was injured / was on the bench. The Cs drafted the best non-guard scorer in the draft. Tatum will have to earn his minutes so he won't be in contention for ROY but he should be able to make some hay on the second unit where every shot he takes is likely one less shot for Marcus Smart.
 

queenb

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Dodged a bullet. Read his post. Lol.

View attachment 16177
This is the only way an otherwise unremarkable sponsored post gets any exposure. Smart...

Also Fultz just said his phone has been off all day. So whether it was a fuck-up or not, that's on his manager.

EDIT: If I'm being cynical I might just go all the way with it. Fultz mentioning that his phone has been off was basically unprompted. Perhaps some damage control so he doesn't lose the big Tissot account.
 

pappymojo

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Coach K: "God damnit! Brad Stevens is so fucking awesome. It really pisses me right the fuck off. That prick! He's all 'here let me help you' and 'let's work together on this some more.' Fucking asshole!"
 

HowBoutDemSox

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I will say this - he isn't as big but he really does remind me of Paul George a bit.
Tatum agrees:

Tatum has compared his game, at times, to Paul Pierce, which should endear him quickly to Boston fans. Asked for a current NBA comparison, Tatum picked a player that the Celtics had interest in at February's trade deadline.

"My favorite player right now would be Paul George," Tatum said. "That's somebody I look up to and that I enjoy watching play."
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/19711028/2017-nba-draft-boston-celtics-take-jayson-tatum-no-3-overall-pick
 

moly99

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As much as I think basketball teams are very badly run compared to baseball teams, it is a lot more fun to watch the NBA's offseason than baseball's offseason. At this point it is very hard to find advantages in baseball other teams are ignoring. There are still lots of dumb teams in the NBA, and lots of WTF trades to argue about.

Fultz is wearing 2 watches and a suit that doesn't fit.
That's still not as embarrassing as this:



He has a lot of the same skills as KP and would be a great fit on a Stevens team.
Porzingis gets his value from the fact that he is both an elite rim protector and a floor spacer. That is incredibly valuable because it allows his team to use him as a stretch five. Meanwhile Kevin Love needs defensive protection and ideally operates offensively in of areas on the floor where her can grab offensive rebounds.