Which of the Jays has more long-term value?

Who is your champion?


  • Total voters
    81

InstaFace

The Ultimate One
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Sep 27, 2016
21,766
Pittsburgh, PA
You're Masai Ujiri. Your team is defending champs, but you just lost the best wing in the league and you're a little wing-light, yet you still have a very talented roster featuring Lowry, FVV, Siakam, Ibaka, Gasol, etc. But you really need another great wing on the roster if you're going to contend again. Through some sort of dystopian nightmare, you get a chance to steal any one player you want from the Celtics to put on your roster. You can get Jaylen Brown (at $6.5 this year, 4/$115 to follow), or Jayson Tatum - whom, let's assume for sake of argument, would be willing to sign a market-rate 3-year extension to his present deal (so both have 5 years of control remaining for roughly the same total dollars).

Who do you pick?
 

Spelunker

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Jul 17, 2005
11,867
Tatum becoming a monster on defense and his O having more room to grow are the differentiaters for me.

Plus, even currently he's carrying a heavier burden in the offense and being forced to take/make harder shots. JB gets more open shots because of the focus on Tatum.

I love JB and his leap this year is pretty staggering, but this is a no-brainer for me.
 

TripleOT

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Jul 4, 2007
7,758
Who do you like better, Tatum or Brown?
What ball do you like better, your right one or you left one?

I like both equally, and I plan on keeping them both forever.
 

lovegtm

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Apr 30, 2013
12,000
comparing Brown and Tatum is so 2018-19
Meh, it's a fun exercise and indicative of how well they're both doing, rather than a desire to trade either.

I'd take Tatum in that hypothetical Ujiri spot. He's already a better defender than Brown in rotation and help, and might already be better 1-on-1. He's also inching ever closer to his dream of having a Luka/Harden unblockable stepback 3. If/when that happens, everything else in his offensive game will click into place (it effectively makes him a step faster), and, with some growing pains, he'll move quickly to being a top-10 player.

If, on the other hand, we're looking back in a 2 years and wondering how Jaylen Brown got to be unquestionably the better of the 2, it will be because he drastically improves his playmaking and takes a Butler/Leonard leap in that regard, maybe adding an off-the-dribble 3 as well.
 

Smokey Joe

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Apr 9, 2001
1,155
There is a Jayson versus Jalen poll going on the General NBA board at Real GM. Jayson is leading 53% to 47%. Last night, it was 51% to 49% for Jaylen. It's becoming a real discussion, but it's too early to choose.
 

bankshot1

Member
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Feb 12, 2003
24,652
where I was last at
This is like Sopie's choice.That movie made me cry.

When the possible trade of Kawhi for Jaylen and a shit ton of Celts picks was being bandied about pre 2018-19, as much as I drooled over Kawhi in green, I harbored the fantasy there was a decent shot that Jaylen might grow-up to be Kawhi-like. a 2-way monster. I still have that dream.

But now we are seeing Jason develop into a real good defensive player to go along with his growing elite offensive potential.

Jaylen may deliver more value as he signed his 4/115 extension, and Jason will probably sign something obscene max, maybe supermax next year.

Danny may have a helluva choice, if he goes after the next big (KAT?) on his list
 

lovegtm

Member
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Apr 30, 2013
12,000
This is like Sopie's choice.That movie made me cry.

When the possible trade of Kawhi for Jaylen and a shit ton of Celts picks was being bandied about pre 2018-19, as much as I drooled over Kawhi in green, I harbored the fantasy there was a decent shot that Jaylen might grow-up to be Kawhi-like. a 2-way monster. I still have that dream.

But now we are seeing Jason develop into a real good defensive player to go along with his growing elite offensive potential.

Jaylen may deliver more value as he signed his 4/115 extension, and Jason will probably sign something obscene max, maybe supermax next year.

Danny may have a helluva choice, if he goes after the next big (KAT?) on his list
The salary comparison is a bit misleading. If Jaylen hits his incentives, he'll be around $29M per for 4 years. Jayson will get around 36 for 5. When Jaylen is a UFA, he'll get about 40 if the cap keeps going up.

Jaylen's deal is a nice bargain given that he would have been insta-maxed this summer, but the difference is only about $15-25M over 5 years.
 

Eddie Jurak

canderson-lite
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Dec 12, 2002
44,478
Melrose, MA
At this point...Tatum is more of a shot creator, so if you are looking for a building block, he is the obvious choice.
 

Deathofthebambino

Drive Carefully
SoSH Member
Apr 12, 2005
41,948
Well, I'm completely biased as Jaylen is pretty much my favorite young player in many, many years. Until Tatum can stop getting stripped every time he goes to the hoop (or just losing it himself when he's going up), and stop shooting idiotic mid range jumpers, I'm going to be on the Jaylen bus. But really, this is like picking your favorite kid (mine is my dog over my human kids, FTR). I think Tatum probably has a bit more upside, particularly because of how good he is right now on the defensive end, but nowhere near the difference it was a year ago, and Jaylen's floor seems to be going up by the day.