Where do you rank Jayson Tatum?

[j3lademaster]

A lot of Tatum clowning these past few days online, podcasts, espn, conversations at work, etc- all over the sports world, and for good reason. If I'm an alien visiting earth I would think this guy doesn't even deserve a roster spot with the way some people talk about him, even though some of it is pretty funny.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hAfL0KsYQg&ab_channel=DangerousAI

So just curious, where do you guys have him?

You can give a rigid numerical order or do tiers, whatever you're comfortable with.

1-4, we have Jokic, Giannis, SGA and Luka in no particular order. I think it's safe to say no one is arguing Tatum over any of these guys.

from 5-10, AD, Ant, Kawhi, Lebron, Curry, Mitchell, Brunson... I don't think it's out of pocket to put him towards the top of this group which can potentially land him at #5, if we're factoring regular season. Now, I'm not willing to die on a hill to argue that #5 spot for him, I just don't think it's a wild take. Feel free to share what criteria you use to 'rank' guys so I know where you're coming from.

[Wardell Curry]

I've been clowning him for years based on the hype he's gotten.

It's like people can't comprehend that the Celtics are a good team and it's not about one player. They do this with literally every team ever.

He's without question top 20 in the NBA and arguably top 10. Not willing to go any further than that. Wouldn't be mad at someone saying he's definitively top 10 but anyone who says he should be MVP or even considered is not to be taken seriously. He's never been that tier of a player.

[Meticode]

I'm not sure where to rank him numerically, but I think Brunson has been a better player the last two or three years.

[Neal Romer]

A lot of it depends on how you weigh regular season vs playoffs.

Hes dependably available in the regular season, and guns for stats including playing a fair amount of garbage time for a star just to keep his statline healthy. So in that sense does he deserve to be ranked above guys who play half the season like Kawhi or AD? I guess so. If regular season production is a high value priority for you then youll be someone who ranks Tatum pretty high.

If your criterion is more skewed toward "which players would I want in a playoff series if health and all else is equal?" then I think youd be hard pressed to call him Top 15. In fact he might even be the last Celtic starter youd take, let alone the myriad other stars to choose from.

So, yeah. It depends on what each person is thinking about when they rank guys. Not everyone judges value the same way.

[ArbitraryWater]

Nowhere near the Top 10.


Probably just below Ingram.


But lets ask RRR3

[90sgoat]

Someone said Paul George level and I agree.

About the same as Pacers Paul George.

[ArbitraryWater]

Someone said Paul George level and I agree.

About the same as Pacers Paul George.

Thats an important clarification. Id say hes better than Pacers PG.

But not as good as OKC/LAC PG.

[Meticode]

Thats an important clarification. Id say hes better than Pacers PG.

But not as good as OKC/LAC PG.

This. George's best season and prime was his second season in OKC where I think he averaged 28 and was Top 3 in MVP+DPOY voting. Tatum has never been better than that in his career yet. Some differences is Tatum is a better rebounder, but George was a better perimeter defender. George in his prime was a better shooter from deep, but Tatum is better inside the arc at scoring.

[gengiskhan]

SuperMax hah!

for midgit hands, butter fingers. week strength, backing down the defender game.

$300 million!...............what a joke.

[Im so nba'd out]

Someone said Paul George level and I agree.

About the same as Pacers Paul George.

He's better than Paul George. Maybe = to a peak pg13 but way better than this Paul George in 2025. I would say he lowers than Donovan Mitchell. Where ever you have Donovan Mitchell on your current list justr put tatum at least 1 spot before him.

[Im so nba'd out]

Someone said Paul George level and I agree.

About the same as Pacers Paul George.

He's better than Paul George. Maybe = to a peak pg13 but way better than this Paul George in 2025. I would say he lowers than Donovan Mitchell. Where ever you have Donovan Mitchell on your current list just put tatum right near him.

Tatum
Ja
Mitchell
Zion
Paolo

they all in the same tier. Just put

[Neal Romer]

He's better than Paul George. Maybe = to a peak pg13 but way better than this Paul George in 2025. I would say he lowers than Donovan Mitchell. Where ever you have Donovan Mitchell on your current list just put tatum right near him.

Tatum
Ja
Mitchell
Zion
Paolo

they all in the same tier. Just put

Healthy Zion is definitely better on the court than the rest of those guys IMO but if youre factoring availability/leadership into the overall ranking then I get it.

[Meticode]

He's better than Paul George. Maybe = to a peak pg13 but way better than this Paul George in 2025. I would say he lowers than Donovan Mitchell. Where ever you have Donovan Mitchell on your current list just put tatum right near him.

Maybe it's just me, but I feel like many people overrate Tatum (casuals) and many underrate Mitchell.

[j3lademaster]

Maybe it's just me, but I feel like many people overrate Tatum (casuals) and many underrate Mitchell.

Mitchell can be a reliable first option for deep playoff runs, but he doesn't really impact games with much besides his scoring. Tatum will drive me up the wall when he decides to stop ball movement to chuck 3's when his teammates are hot, but he's good at everything despite not being truly elite at anything. He can defend man, he's versatile on defense, he can playmake- he can impact a game where his shot isn't falling. Maybe he just needs to take a backseat to a true first option like Mitchell, we all know he idolizes Kobe and that's who he wants to be, but it might not be who is he and that's okay.

[Meticode]

Mitchell can be a reliable first option for deep playoff runs, but he doesn't really impact games with much besides his scoring. Tatum will drive me up the wall when he decides to stop ball movement to chuck 3's when his teammates are hot, but he's good at everything despite not being truly elite at anything. He can defend man, he's versatile on defense, he can playmake- he can impact a game where his shot isn't falling. Maybe he just needs to take a backseat to a true first option like Mitchell, we all know he idolizes Kobe and that's who he wants to be, but it might not be who is he and that's okay.

I agree with what you said, but I still feel people overrate Tatum and underrate Mitchell. Especially when it comes to playoff performances. If Tatum wants to be mentioned in the echelon of greats in today's superstars he has to perform consistently and step up when it matters in big moments. He hasn't done that really throughout his career. Part of this is because he got drafted into the prefect winning environment and there's almost a carbon copy of himself that finishes better at the rim than he does (Brown).

[Baller234]

Elite talent, has a ton of finesse, but not a reliable go-to guy in crunch time. Doesn't attack like he should, doesn't have any kind of rough edge to him, hasn't mastered the mid range game, leans too heavily on the 3.

Pure talent wise he might be in that top 5-10 range, overall player wise probably still top 10.

[ImKobe]

He's an All-NBA 2nd team level player being hyped up as a top 5 player in the league because he's on the Celtics. If anything good has come out of these Playoffs it's that the rest of the world finally realized what I've been saying on here for years.

[Wardell Curry]

Elite talent, has a ton of finesse, but not a reliable go-to guy in crunch time. Doesn't attack like he should, doesn't have any kind of rough edge to him, hasn't mastered the mid range game, leans too heavily on the 3.

Pure talent wise he might be in that top 5-10 range, overall player wise probably still top 10.

I'm not sure I agree. Obviously he's athletically talented but he is EXTREMELY ****ing stiff. If anything it's his defensive effort that puts him as high as he is.

[warriorfan]

I'm not sure I agree. Obviously he's athletically talented but he is EXTREMELY ****ing stiff. If anything it's his defensive effort that puts him as high as he is.

Yeah he has great size so he can still rebound and defend when he’s cold which for me keeps him from plummeting down the player rankings.

But his game is so ugly. Super stiff and no fluidity to his game. His herky jerky loose and sloppy crossover is painful to watch even if it is somewhat effective.

This is wading into hater territory but he also seems like he’s not very smart and a total goofball. Doesn’t have the it factor. Maybe he can develop into a leader later in his career but I’m not really seeing it.

[Manny98]

Thats an important clarification. Id say hes better than Pacers PG.

But not as good as OKC/LAC PG.
This

[Baller234]

I'm not sure I agree. Obviously he's athletically talented but he is EXTREMELY ****ing stiff. If anything it's his defensive effort that puts him as high as he is.

Stiff? Really? I don't see it. I think he's one of the better finesse players in the league actually. If I have a criticism it's that he's TOO finesse bordering on soft.

And no I don't think anyone in their right mind would ever take Tatum for his defense over his offense. He has decent wingspan but you can find lots of athletic guys his size that can play defense. By contrast, there's really only a handful of guys who can score better than him.

Boston was good for a reason.

[PP34Deuce]

Brown is a gamer with a better motor. Tatum is more skilled and talented. Celtics are fine as both guys don't really get in each other's ways.

I tend to think because of Bostons depth Tatum never hustles unless it's do or die or his reputation is at stake. In ways he similar to Paul George.

5 star talents that are comfortable being in the league and inconsistent with their efforts outside chucking 3s

[PP34Deuce]

Brown is a gamer with a better motor. Tatum is more skilled and talented. Celtics are fine as both guys don't really get in each other's ways.

I tend to think because of Bostons depth Tatum never hustles unless it's do or die or his reputation is at stake. In ways he similar to Paul George.

5 star talents that are comfortable being in the league and inconsistent with their efforts outside chucking 3s

[Wally450]

Top 10 player in the NBA.