Tatum future: Better suited as a SF or PF?

[Tr1boy]

What do you guys think?

I think he can choose either path....but needs to focus on one

What I mean is the way he is going to build his body

At the moment I think he is better suited to be a stretch 4.   He has struggles vs quicker sfs who also can play some SG.

Ability to stay in front and also ability to penetrate past sfs on the drive

Against PFs it is expected at this time he will get pushed around a little.  But on the offensive end, most have issues trying to stay in front of him/chase him around the perimeter.

Tatum adds 15-20 pounds of mass in the next few seasons and though he may lose some quickness, overall it should help carve out his role, long term

[CFAN38]

With the rise of position less basketball it doesn't really matter. I have personally switched to looking at players (particularly draft prospects) as Guards, wings, big wings and big. Guards being players who are pretty clearly primary handling point guards (Irving,Rozier,Larkin), wings being every player who isn't a primary ball handler but who can be exposed in the paint on defense(Brown,Tatum right now, Hayward,Nader, Bird), Big wings being wings with the size/strength to defend traditional bigs in the paint (Morris), and Bigs (Horford,Monroe,Baynes,Theis). Like any classification this isn't perfect. Smart is really a hybrid wing/guard.

As for Tatum if the Cs are going to keep a similar roster construction next season then they will likely start Irving, Brown, Tatum, Hayward, and Horford. This will give them possibly the best shooting starting 5 in the NBA. It will however require one of the wings to play the big wing role. All 3 wings have the potential to fill this need.

Hayward is 6'8 and probably at least 230 lbs but with only a 6'8 wingspan

Brown claims to have grown to 6'8 237lbs and has a 7' wingspan     

Tatum is a a bit on a mystery in 2016 he was measured to be 6'8.25 204lbs with a 6'11 wingspan. On the court he seems taller and especially longer then this and the rumor has always been that he is still growing. For arguments sake lets say he is 6'9 with 7' wingspan. I suspect Tatum will have a productive off season in the weight room and will begin to fill out his frame.

To answer the original question with weight gain Tatum will be best suited playing the big wing role in the Harrison Barnes GS mold. His inferiority to Brown on the perimeter and height and length advantage over Hayward make him the prime candidate. If he isn't strong enough next season we may see Hayward still take on the role short term. With so few teams looking to post up the Cs will have the benefit of having three very switchable wings who can all abuse slower matchups on offense.

[playdream]

It depends on your (ongoing) foot speed
so clearly it's Brown-SG Tatum-SF Hayward-PF, i don't see another path.

[kozlodoev]

It depends on your (ongoing) foot speed
so clearly it's Brown-SG Tatum-SF Hayward-PF, i don't see another path.

Hayward is not playing PF.

[kozlodoev]

Tatum adds 15-20 pounds of mass in the next few seasons and though he may lose some quickness, overall it should help carve out his role, long term

I think adding so much weight in so little time is a horrible idea. But I'm pretty sure they'll play him at PF down the stretch. I mean, that was the plan day 1 of this season, and he wasn't even fully physically mature yet.

[byennie]

Tatum adds 15-20 pounds of mass in the next few seasons and though he may lose some quickness, overall it should help carve out his role, long term

I think adding so much weight in so little time is a horrible idea. But I'm pretty sure they'll play him at PF down the stretch. I mean, that was the plan day 1 of this season, and he wasn't even fully physically mature yet.

220-225 lbs is nothing for a guy who's 6'8". He's underweight right now for the NBA.

[nickagneta]

Tatum adds 15-20 pounds of mass in the next few seasons and though he may lose some quickness, overall it should help carve out his role, long term

I think adding so much weight in so little time is a horrible idea. But I'm pretty sure they'll play him at PF down the stretch. I mean, that was the plan day 1 of this season, and he wasn't even fully physically mature yet.

220-225 lbs is nothing for a guy who's 6'8". He's underweight right now for the NBA.

You're missing the important part...he said adding so much weight in such little time. I agree. 5-10 pounds of offseason muscle gain is better for a 20 year old that wants to also work on his quickness and explosion

[kozlodoev]

Tatum adds 15-20 pounds of mass in the next few seasons and though he may lose some quickness, overall it should help carve out his role, long term

I think adding so much weight in so little time is a horrible idea. But I'm pretty sure they'll play him at PF down the stretch. I mean, that was the plan day 1 of this season, and he wasn't even fully physically mature yet.

220-225 lbs is nothing for a guy who's 6'8". He's underweight right now for the NBA.

You're missing the important part...he said adding so much weight in such little time. I agree. 5-10 pounds of offseason muscle gain is better for a 20 year old that wants to also work on his quickness and explosion

Yeah, I think he might end up being a 6'9, 235 lbs combo forward down the road... just not sure it's going to happen next year.

[playdream]

It depends on your (ongoing) foot speed
so clearly it's Brown-SG Tatum-SF Hayward-PF, i don't see another path.

Hayward is not playing PF.

https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-brad-stevens-says-gordon-hayward-could-play-power-forward/

I don't really know what you are talking about...

[kozlodoev]

It depends on your (ongoing) foot speed
so clearly it's Brown-SG Tatum-SF Hayward-PF, i don't see another path.

Hayward is not playing PF.

https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-brad-stevens-says-gordon-hayward-could-play-power-forward/

I don't really know what you are talking about...

"#Celtics coach Brad Stevens said Gordon Hayward could play some power forward this year when C's go small." That's fantastic. Marcus Smart could (and did) play "some PF" that way.

If you can't see how that's different from making him the unconditional starting PF, I'm not surprised you don't know what I'm talking about

[playdream]

It depends on your (ongoing) foot speed
so clearly it's Brown-SG Tatum-SF Hayward-PF, i don't see another path.

Hayward is not playing PF.

https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-brad-stevens-says-gordon-hayward-could-play-power-forward/

I don't really know what you are talking about...

"#Celtics coach Brad Stevens said Gordon Hayward could play some power forward this year when C's go small." That's fantastic. Marcus Smart could (and did) play "some PF" that way.

If you can't see how that's different from making him the unconditional starting PF, I'm not surprised you don't know what I'm talking about

You said he is not playing PF, that is wrong
and under Stevens positionless system there are no "unconditional starting PF" AL and Monroe will play the PG if you are going that way
Stevens said this squad Hayward, not Smart/Brown/Tatum can play some PF in small lineup, i don't know what's more to argue here

[Celtics4ever]

CBS is not prisoner to the standard positions of PF, C, SF, SG and PG.   Those of you here still referring to them have not caught up to the new NBA and the changes.   Bigs, Swings and Ballhandlers are what Stevens uses.

"I don’t have the five positions anymore," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said, per Kareem Copeland of the Associated Press. "It may be as simple as three positions now, where you’re either a ball-handler, a wing or a big.

In the book of Stevens, players generally fall into one of the four following categories:

Ball handlers – Typically played by the 1.
Wings – A hybrid between the 2 and the 3.
Swings – A hybrid between the 3 and the 4.
Bigs – A hybrid between the 4 and the 5.

This has been known for a long time since 2015, time to come out of the cave, perhaps

http://www.nba.com/celtics/news/sidebar/091015-Roster-Breakdown-The-Bigs

[trickybilly]

I'm not sure these designations have any value any more.. triboy makes a good point though that essentially the choice boils down to how much muscle you have: or how much he should put on to maximize his utility..

Durant clearly has not prioritized muscle building at any point in his career, but Durant doesn't really need to be strong, because he is a lightning fast defender. More muscle mass may be the only way Jayson can become a perennial all-star, but I doubt it.

[Sophomore]

I can't find it now, but someone on the main blog did a story about how Tatum and the team's rebounding numbers go down significantly when he plays PF. That drop might be worth if it we can score enough and his defense continues to improve, but when we play that lineup we're going to give up a bunch of putbacks and won't get as many of our own rebounds. You choose your poison.

It'll be interesting to see what kind of player Tatum becomes. He's got broad shoulders, but pretty narrow hips/legs. I don't see him ever having a frame that lets him bang with the bigger 4s - and really, bulking up would take away from what he does so well on offense. I'd hate to see him lose any of his fluidity/flexibility and ability to change direction. Physically, I would project him as similar to Durant (hopefully in his game as well...).

I really am thinking about the shooting that five will be able to do, and how many options Brad is going to have to mix and match. The team might shoot 39-40% from 3 for the year. That's Golden State territory. Beyond that, this offense should be murder in so many ways. I'm seeing a high P and R action or handoff with Kyrie and Al, then side actions involving Hawyard, Tatum, and Brown. If the defense sends help to stop the P and R or pick and pop, the ball kicks to an open 40% three-point shooter or to a cutter, any one of whom can finish at the rim. Don't help? Good luck stopping Kyrie and Al. Sub in Theis for Al, and you have a pretty solid pick and roll game. Injury gods - please be satisfied with what you have taken from us already and let this be!

[Tr1boy]

Tatum adds 15-20 pounds of mass in the next few seasons and though he may lose some quickness, overall it should help carve out his role, long term

I think adding so much weight in so little time is a horrible idea. But I'm pretty sure they'll play him at PF down the stretch. I mean, that was the plan day 1 of this season, and he wasn't even fully physically mature yet.

220-225 lbs is nothing for a guy who's 6'8". He's underweight right now for the NBA.

You're missing the important part...he said adding so much weight in such little time. I agree. 5-10 pounds of offseason muscle gain is better for a 20 year old that wants to also work on his quickness and explosion

Yeah, I think he might end up being a 6'9, 235 lbs combo forward down the road... just not sure it's going to happen next year.

I think so too. Tobias Harris, Thad Young measurements