Kobe Bryant's 'Detail' video on Jayson Tatum

This is just an excerpt.  Tatum has said he has watched it about 25x already.  Said the thing he noted the most was Kobe's citation that his toes are pointing the wrong way on drives.  That analysis/detail is not in this excerpt.

I don't have access to the whole episode. If someone does, please post it.






bob



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Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics rookie, receives film breakdown from Kobe Bryant: Five takeaways

http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2018/05/jayson_tatum_boston_celtics_ro_16.html

By Tom Westerholm

Boston Celtics rookie Jayson Tatum has received some inevitable high-profile attention from the Celtics' run to the Eastern Conference Finals, and his star offensive role within it.

On Thursday, he got perhaps his highest-profile attention yet: A film breakdown, courtesy of ESPN+, from former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant.

Like many players of a certain age, Tatum has expressed admiration for Bryant's game before. Bryant's influence on Tatum's game is evident -- Tatum has clearly worked hard on his footwork, which became a trademark of Bryant's game in his later years. Both Tatum and Bryant are also known for their ability to attack in isolation against mismatches.

So what does Bryant think of Tatum's game to this point? Here are five notes.

1. Bryant's focus seemed to be almost entirely on ways Tatum can improve. There was very little praise, just (mostly) constructive criticism. Don't bother watching if you are hoping to watch/hear an NBA legend praise a rookie for 18 minutes.

2. Bryant talked quite a bit on Tatum's toes, which was interesting. Bryant pointed out that Tatum's feet are often angled the wrong direction when he drives closeouts, slowing down his attack and allowing defenders to recover and cut off his lane to the basket. That manifested itself on multiple occasions. Presumably, Tatum will be able to improve on that as he gets older.

3. Another interesting critique: Bryant pointed out several times that additional patience would have made a difference for Tatum. On one play, Tatum attacked five Cavaliers in transition and got stripped rather than letting the transition play develop. On another, he tried to make a move and got into the paint against Larry Nance, only to miss a tough layup.

Bryant advised Tatum to try to find easier shots off the catch and to save some of his best moves for when he would really need them. As Bryant noted, showing what you can do too early gives defenses a chance to counter and react.

4. Bryant, of course, is much smarter than media members, so analysis of his analysis is probably largely worthless. But he does seem to encourage more long twos than the Celtics would probably prefer from Tatum. Repeatedly, Bryant shows "pockets" into which Tatum could fade for open shots. But those pockets are open for a reason -- in today's NBA, most teams recognize that those pockets lead to long twos, which are inefficient. Just 15 percent of Boston's shots came on long-mid shots this season, per Cleaning the Glass, and that number includes Kyrie Irving, who has the rare green light from that range.

That wasn't the case during Bryant's career. He made a first-ballot Hall of Fame career and influenced an entire generation of basketball players out of picking those spots and making the shot look easy. But the Celtics' coaching staff may be telling Tatum -- who shot well over 40 percent from three this season -- something a little different.

5. Point in case: At the end of his breakdown, Bryant encourages Tatum to watch film of former Detroit Pistons star Richard Hamilton for inspiration. Hamilton was excellent for the Pistons, but he also thrived on mid-range spot-up shots off cuts. Given the heavy emphasis on pick-and-roll creation the Celtics have placed on Tatum's shoulders since Irving went down for the season, it seems Boston's coaching staff has different plans for him.

Still, even if it isn't a primary focus, Hamilton's game could point Tatum in useful directions, and Bryant's perspective was interesting. Check it out if you're interested in seeing what a very intelligent outsider thinks of Tatum's development.


My note:  The entire video may be from ESPN+.  You have to be a paying member for that.  Perhaps someone on this board is a member and can get the entire video.

I think there was some useful suggestions.

Finding the open pocket makes sense instead of taking a contested 3 point shot.  Although Brad prefers a 3 over a long 2, it still comes down to shot quality.  The Celtics take both good and bad 3 point shots.

dboss wrote:I think there was some useful suggestions.

Finding the open pocket makes sense instead of taking a contested 3 point shot.  Although Brad prefers a 3 over a long 2, it still comes down to shot quality.  The Celtics take both good and bad 3 point shots.

I predict that in a few years, those "mid range twos" won't be so inefficient. Already defenses are almost willing to give up those shots, and focus more attention on preventing 3's and close-to-the-basket 2s. As this trend continues, the efficiency of those shots will go down. Another consequence of focusing on 3s and short 2s is less attention to the mid-range - defenders can't be everywhere at once. Thus, those shots will be easier to hit, and their efficiency could go up. Smart analytics teams will see this trend and adjust accordingly. Teams will learn to take what the defense gives them. Then of course the whole cycle will start again - mid-range 2s will become inefficient again and so on and so forth. Probably total nonsense...