Bleacher Report puts Jayson Tatum on 'overhyped' list

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/bleacher-report-puts-jayson-tatum-030111261.html



Bleacher Report puts Jayson Tatum on 'overhyped' list



NBC Sports Boston
August 14, 2018, 9:01 PM MDT



Bleacher Report ran a piece Tuesday listing the NBA's five "most overhyped players" entering the coming season. Jayson Tatum leads the list. Hold me back.

These pieces are obviously subjective as hell, as they rely on "people probably think X," which may or may not be the reality of the situation. In the case of Tatum, writer Grant Hughes acknowledges that he feels Tatum is a franchise player, but that he could be a victim of the team for which he plays.

Writes Hughes:

Kyrie Irving has never been one to take a backseat, and with him back on the floor, it'll be much harder for Tatum to build on his postseason takeover. Throw Gordon Hayward into the mix, and there will be even fewer touches for the 20-year-old wing. And that's to say nothing of Jaylen Brown, who's a superior defender at the moment and averaged 18 points per game in the playoffs on more efficient shooting than Tatum managed. He's due for an increased role as well.

C's fans can first breathe at the fact that Hughes most certainly is not calling Tatum overrated. Then, if they're rational, they can wonder whether Hughes has a point.

Tatum's five best scoring games of the regular season came with Kyrie out of the lineup, one of which was prior to Irving being shut down for the season. He obviously went on to average over four and a half points more in the postseason without Irving (18.5) than he did in the regular season (13.9).

No, Tatum is not going to be the Celtics' top scorer this season. He also won't be a rookie again. Dude looked like he tacked on like 80 pounds of muscle like a month after the season ended. He's been in gyms destroying everyone from Joel Embiid to a hilarious assortment of camp-going children. He's out here mentoring Kobe.

Even if Brad Stevens wants to get creative and have Tatum come off the bench (that doesn't need to happen; he can start the five best players), Tatum is a lethal enough offensive player to put up 20 a night.

But back to the idea of him being overhyped. I don't think anyone's putting the kid in the MVP conversation. They probably just saw the third overall pick have a really good rookie year and figure that he'll continue to blossom into a star, if he isn't one already.

The other players listed in the piece were DeMarcus Cousins, Zach LaVine, Josh Jackson and Kawhi Leonard. Leonard falls into the rule of thumb that if you're one of the five best players in the league, as Kawhi is, it's really easy for people to overhype you. That's not Leonard's fault.

But the other guys? Who the heck is hyping -- let alone overhyping -- Zach LaVine? The only time Zach LaVine made headlines this summer was when he was given an offersheet by the Kings that most felt was too much and the Bulls matched it. Everyone thinks he's a stinky defensive player who's coming off an ACL injury. Unless there's some expectation that he's going to start averaging six or seven more points a night than he ever has, he isn't being overhyped. He's just overpaid.

The Cousins pick could very well be fair. As Hughes writes, Boogie is a "luxury, not a game-changer for the Warriors." It's very possible that his impact on the Warriors won't be as significant as the league fears. Maybe he takes longer than expected to come back. Maybe when he does come back, he proves to be a divisive player with that group. Then again, maybe he gives them 25 and 12 a night and the Warriors go undefeated in the postseason.

Selling Jackson as overhyped is tough. He's a second-year player who finished his rookie year on fire, including a 36-point performance against the Warriors. He sure as hell won't average 22.6 points like he did over his last 10 games as a rookie, but does anyone think he will? Nobody thinks he's a great shooter, but it's reasonable to expect something approaching the 18.7 he averaged post All-Star break, plus his usual strong defending.

Anyway, this Hughes fellow should have put Ben Simmons on the list. Guy never shoots threes.


bob
MY NOTE:  Bulletin board material for Jayson.


.

Early in the season, Jayson Tatum got wide open looks at the three point line because all eyes were on Kyrie, Horford and Jalen. He was leading the league in 3-point percentage, or close to it. Then he sprained his pinkie (or thumb, whatever) and his shot stopped being so automatic.

When Kyrie was shut down for the season, the other team's defense would pay more attention to Jayson and he still came through. Of course his scoring average increased in the playoffs, but his efficiency dropped a bit.

Now he goes back to being third or fourth option and will once again get wide open looks at the three point line. His scoring average may decrease from his playoff high, but he will go back to being very efficient.

I have great expectations from both Jays this season.

I guess that folks who did not see this game play 99 games last season might think that he is getting more ink than most sophomore NBA players should get.

BUT, it is only those of us who saw this young man play last season can and should fully expect him to be even better this season. Of course, he will have to prove further successes to everyone.

Nothing like pouring blood into the shark pool.

Lonzo and Simmons and Fultz should all be ahead of the guys this idiot put on his list.

So let me get this straight....

A reporter who reports on players and their ability reports that he and other reporters are complete idiots as they are the ones that hype these guys in the first place.

Think I understand now.

Now return to your regular program already in progress.

beat

jrleftfoot wrote:Lonzo and  Simmons and Fultz  should all be ahead of the guys this idiot put on his list.

Simmons on the overhyped list - he looks pretty good to me when compared to a list of very young players of the past 10 years with similar credentials.

http://bkref.com/tiny/H0JYN

swish

He can`t shoot. I feel that that was a big  negative against the Celts in the playoffs. Maybe he`ll learn.

jrleftfoot wrote:He can`t shoot. I feel that that was a big  negative against the Celts in the playoffs. Maybe he`ll learn.

Can't shoot ? - his .545 fg% ranked #1 - his .545 efg% ranked #2 behind Leonard.

swish

swish wrote:

jrleftfoot wrote:He can`t shoot. I feel that that was a big  negative against the Celts in the playoffs. Maybe he`ll learn.

 Can't shoot ? - his .545 fg% ranked #1 - his .545 efg% ranked #2 behind Leonard.

  swish
 

And both below 50 in the playoffs. Worse against the Celts. I don't care about him beating up lesser competition. He was severely limited by us in the regular season and playoffs (and by Raptors in regular season).

Interesting video that goes along with the linked article. A. Sherrod claiming Jayson Tatum is untouchable.

While no player is untouchable, Sherrod makes a few good points. Did I just say A. Sherrod made some good points? that doesn't happen often around here. I personally would make Tatum the last player on the current roster I would trade. Over-hyped? No. Everyone had to know from his single year at Duke what was coming when he hit the NBA. Scary part for opponents is he's probably only going to continue to learn and improve.

Swish, if you watched the  playoffs and didn`t  think that Simmons inability to shoot from outside was a decisive factor against the Celts, we`ll have to agree to disagree. I think it allows defenders to double up on JE , as well.

swish wrote:

jrleftfoot wrote:He can`t shoot. I feel that that was a big  negative against the Celts in the playoffs. Maybe he`ll learn.

 Can't shoot ? - his .545 fg% ranked #1 - his .545 efg% ranked #2 behind Leonard.

  swish
 

Would like to know where the majority of his shots came from, my guess is layups or close to the basket. He is afraid to take an open shot unless he is at the basket. Teams will sag off of him like they sagged off Rondo. In some ways he reminds me of a bigger Rondo; Simmons' court vision is excellent, but it is not other-wordly like Rondo's.

Shamrock1000 wrote:

swish wrote:

jrleftfoot wrote:He can`t shoot. I feel that that was a big  negative against the Celts in the playoffs. Maybe he`ll learn.

 Can't shoot ? - his .545 fg% ranked #1 - his .545 efg% ranked #2 behind Leonard.

  swish
 

Would like to know where the majority of his shots came from, my guess is layups or close to the basket. He is afraid to take an open shot unless he is at the basket. Teams will sag off of him like they sagged off Rondo. In some ways he reminds me of a bigger Rondo; Simmons' court vision is excellent, but it is not other-wordly like Rondo's.

I dug up some answers for you Shamrock. - Simmons has indeed specialized in taking high percentage shots - as 79.5% of his shots this past year came from within 10 feet (894 of 1124 shots) - 535 of the 894 were made for a shooting percent of 59.8. Only 12 of his shots were from 3 point range.

Heres the numbers for Tatum - 43.7 of his shots came from within 10 feet (479 of 1096 shots) 260 of the 479 attempts were made for a shooting percent of 54.3%.

Looks to me like Simmons parlayed a huge height advantage over smaller personel guarding him to rack up some pretty impressive low post numbers. Not bad for a player who also found time to post 8 assist and 8 rebounds per game.

swish

The shot selection charts that I used to arrive at Simmons numbers do not go back to the early Magic Johnson years - but I wonder if their early careers could have been quite similiar - Both played point guard - both with excellent 2 point shooting percentages - both 6'9" or taller - at age 23 Magic took 21 3 point shots ( made 0) - at age 21 Simmons took 12 (made 0) - I wonder if Magic also may have used his height advantage to rack up some big numbers in the low post. Just wondering.

 swish

Magic didn`t clog up  the paint and get in Kareem's way.Simmons may become an outstanding player, but he`s going to have to learn to shoot from outside if he's going to be an outstanding point guard.Until then, he's a more physically imposing Lonzo Ball , without the obnoxious dad.

jrleftfoot wrote:Magic didn`t clog up  the paint and get in Kareem's way.Simmons may become an outstanding player, but he`s going to have to learn to shoot from outside if he's going to be an outstanding point guard.Until then, he's a more physically imposing Lonzo Ball , without the obnoxious dad.

I don't see the connection between Ball and Simmons - Ball has been terrible within 10 feet. This past year Ball took a total of 564 shots of which 206 were within 10 feet (.365%) He made 80 of those 206 (.388%) - a far cry from Simmons living in the paint - with 894 of his total 1124 shots (.795%) shots coming from within 10 feet - while making 535 of 894 within 10 feet (.598%).

swish

I was exaggerating slightly. He`s better than Ball, but I will continue to maintain that he won`t be a viable point guard in today`s NBA if he not only can`t , but won`t even try, to knock down shots outside the paint.This isn`t Pistons/ Knicks circa early 90s.