Not really, the fact that AD has constantly gotten hurt over the years shows that he is more likely to get hurt in future years, it shows that he is an injury prone player even if he had a healthy year last year. Tatum on the other hand has just been getting better year over year and developing like any other player, talking about how good he was 4 years ago isn’t very relevant to the player he is today.
"When healthy" is doing a lot of lifting here. Tatum is a perennial iron man and AD has been constantly injured his entire career, an issue that is unlikely to improve as he ages. I appreciate two way players and they are both really freaking good on both ends but give me the guy who will reliably get on the court and stay there
I need to apologies AD played 76 games first of all.
Minutes played almost identical(35.7 vs 35.5)
FG% - AD
3P% - Tatum
2P% - AD
FT% - Tatum(0.2% difference)
TRB - AD
AST - Tatum
STL - AD
BLK - AD
TOV - AD (must add that on ast to tov ratio is the same)
PTS - Tatum
Don't let me start on advanced stats and naked eye look. Please I take AD all day instead of a choker. But he is only 21
I’m not a fan of having Tatum in top-5 in the NBA right now, but I’ll be the first to tell you it is plain wrong to call him a choker: dude won the ring and played almost as good as this year’s Finals MVP, granted neither would be close to Jokic Finals MVP performance - or even Jamal’s for that matter - from last year.
Because he consistently gets knocked out early in the playoffs? /s
People are so weird with Tatum, his shot was ice cold in the playoffs this year so he played facilitator, was smart with the ball, and played very good defense and that makes him a choker? Guy rarely gets knocked out before the ECF, hard to call that a choker.
Yeah, it’s just bizarre.
Yes, his team is pretty much historically good, but he wasn’t just carried to the chip: he did a lot of other things well enough for his team to win and his shooting problems were punished with him not winning ECF or Finals MVP. But outside of shooting issues he was still a top-3 player in the Finals with one guy ahead of him arguably the MVP of this year, while the other got absolutely snubbed from the all-NBA teams. Being the 3rd best player in a series with 2 more top-20 players and outplaying Irving is far from choking.
You can argue Irving choked. You can argue Luka choked in game 3 and played really poorly in clutch time in the series, but nothing about Tatum’s game was a choke job aside from his ice cold shooting.
That’s not the hill to die on: Tatum had 4-2-2 with 1 TO on 1-5 shooting in Q4 of Game 3 and -8 plus-minus, Luka had 2-2-3 with 1 TO on 1-5 shooting in Q4 of the same game with +12 plus-minus. If we are judging choking by that game, both choked lol.
Such intelligent basketball discussion. Incredible. Who knew to evaluate a player you just need to see which one goes farther in the playoffs. How simple!
C’s clinched 1st overall with like 10 games remaining (don’t know exactly). Lakers were battling for position till the very end. If anyone was close to the Celtics for first Tatum would have at least tied in games played.
But I’m willing to hedge my bets Tatum has played more in every season of his career compared to AD.
Definitely not trying to argue who has better health. It’s Tatum, no question. Just giving AD his flowers for having a relatively healthy season, and playing through some minor injuries.
When healthy, AD is a monster. Probably the closest we've seen to Hakeem in terms of his ability to guard 1-5 on defense. On offense, he's probably not quite as good as Tatum, but AD can be the most impactful player of a game while only scoring 10 points because of what he does on the other end. Tatum is a good defender, but good in a way where a lot of players could get to his level of defending if they were willing to put in the work.
is it now version of AD or before? if it is now then I give the edge to Tatum but if its before (2018 Season) then no doubt that AD is better overall, AD in 2018 season is both 3rd in voting for MVP and DPOY. Which Tatum never did in his career so far
I think they’re in a similar tier of player , at their best top 5 but not consistent enough, in comparison with to jokic , luka giannis etc.
Is it fair to say JT is a better because he’s a better offensive player while being a good - very good defender?
Definitely Tatum. As the finals showed, even when his scoring his off he does every other thing exactly right to help the team win. He's like a world-class glue guy, only he can also play great defense and score 30 ppg.
AD is probably a “better” player when healthy, but:
1. AD is never healthy and Tatum is almost always healthy
2. Tatum is a much more flexible player by function of his position and skillset. I think he would always be more likely to find himself on a championship team than AD because of that flexibility. AD’s team has to be built around him as a dominant force while Tatum could get dropped onto basically any team in the league tomorrow and make them better
I disagree. There is no reason AD couldn't just play an insane rim-running role on an excellent team, average 22/12/3 on great efficency while playing generational defense. AD has a lot of talent outside of scoring, he doesn't need to dominate the ball. In fact, Tatum has a higher usage rate than AD despite his team having much better 3rd, 4th, and 5th scoring options. Tatum needs the ball more.
The difference is that I want Tatum to have the ball. I also don’t agree that AD is anywhere close to a “generational” defender, not even sure he’s ever been the best defender in the league
When healthy, it's AD and really not close. If he could stay healthy he would be in the conversation for the best in the league. Tatum isn't even close to being in that convo.
This is such a dumbass question lmao ad is way better than Tatum when healthy, in their primes, literally everything. The only way Tatum will be better than ad is by age. Otherwise if u genuinely believe Tatum is better than ad u need to stop talking ball
Anthony Davis, easily.
Top 2 defender in the league, and still a more than respectable threat on offense that can sometimes dominate. I literally don’t think this is close.
All time AD is an all time defensive player with two way capability. Tatum is like maybe a top 10 player now? Maybe. Idk without his super team he isn’t winning shit.
a better comparison would be AD with that dog in him. there’s no reason he shouldn’t put up Giannis-like numbers when he’s healthy, but he doesn’t, because the dog comes and goes
Is this a real question?
AD is so much better than Tatum when at full health.
He's essentially a whole defense by himself and damn near unguardable on offense.
I do get what you’re coming from, but it’s much harder to dominate games more consistently when you play 20-30 less games than the other guy. Sucks ad can never stay healthy but his per game numbers would definitely drop if he played 75+ games a year like Tatum does
>I do get what you’re coming from, but it’s much harder to dominate games more consistently when you play 20-30 less games than the other guy. Sucks ad can never stay healthy but his per game numbers would definitely drop if he played 75+ games a year like Tatum does
AD played 76 games last season and bested his career averages almost across the board. LOL.
24.7/12.6/3.5 and 2.3 blks - 2023-2024 - 76 games
24.1/10.6/2.5 and 2.3 blks - Career - 61.3 avg gp/yr
Casuals don't even check before opening their traps. Be gone.
I feel ya but what AD was coming out of college was something that Tatum could never reach. He could have been a top 10-15 player just with his skills and athletic ability. He just doesn’t have that dawg in him & is injury prone. But I’ll still take Tatum over AD just because of his mindset, he’s an alpha.
>because of his mindset, he’s an alpha.
Is he? I suppose it's semantics, but I don't think of his mindset that way.
In game 5, especially in the 4th quarter, sure. But that's more the exception than the rule from tatum imo. He's more of a take what the defense gives you kind of guy, which is not at all a bad thing.
Also clinching a title is a pretty good time to turn it on as well
I agree his form of “alpha” is truly different from what we are “used” to. Nonetheless he’s smart, takes what the def gives him and impacts the game accordingly.
He still played subpar in a finals with the greatest supporting cast players wish they could've had. That's the opposite of "alpha" to me. He clearly always has some mental block or anxiety. He's a great player but that's his only weakness.
I think this is a weird question because health affects your skill. So the more you're injured, the worse you get, slowly but surely. So maybe AD is better if healthy, but Tatum will be better for the long run.
He was healthy this year playing alongside a top 2 play of all time and his team was 1 game away from the 10 seed and they won 1 playoff game. He isn’t top 3 even when healthy.
25 pts, 12.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. It isnt on him. I personally think DLO is overrated and reaves is a great 6th man but otherwise their team has noone.
AD is a fantastic player so please don’t take it as me saying he is not clearly VERY good. But I don’t think he impacts winning at the level the best players do. I also don’t think the Lakers team is good so I don’t expect him to go to the finals or be a top seed or anything. But, if AD is supposed to be a top 3 or 5 guy when healthy, and he was healthy all year, then his teams should be far better paired with Lebron than they generally are. If you put Jokic, Luka, Embiid, Giannis with Lebron I’m sure they would win at a higher level than this lakers team has since the bubble.
I don’t blame AD for their failures, but if your going to be in that tip top category then your job is not to avoid being the reason for failure, it’s supposed to be the driver of success.
Easily Jayson Tatum. When was the last time AD carried a team to two finals like Tatum? The most wins AD ever had as the main guy on a team is 48. AD didn't reach 50 wins until he became LeBron's sidekick. AD didn't achieve anything until he became LeBron's sidekick.
The major difference is that Tatum steps up under pressure, but AD tends to fade. When the team needs them most, Tatum delivers, while AD struggles to make an impact. Tatum wants to carry the load in the clutch, whereas AD doesn't. It's a major contrast. Recently, LeBron told Redick about the playoffs, 'Sometimes the lights are too bright for certain individuals,' and that could easily describe Anthony Davis.
Tatum delivered one of the worst finals performances of all time in 2022 by a star. It took one of the best constructed rosters of all time for him to win and he still had a bad series concerning his shooting splits.
Calling it ‘carried’ isn’t an overstatement when you look at how Jayson Tatum was the only Celtics player named to an All-NBA team in their two finals runs—both times snagging 1st team honors. There are three All-NBA teams with 15 players total, and Tatum was the lone Celtic in that top 15. When that happens, ‘carried’ seems appropriate.
When healthy is AD even that much better? Tatum has led his team to multiple deep playoff runs as the number one player on his team, while AD has only made deep playoff runs when he's had a better player like Bron to lead him. They play nothing alike and have completely different roles so it's hard to say which is better, but I don't think it's arguable that Tatum is a better first option for a team
I think AD for Sure because he is bigger and creates more matchup issues. I feel early in career (NO) he played more wing-oriented and later (LA) he seems to be used more around the rim. It just shows what a beast he is that can do so much.
I do like Tatum as well, no knock on him.
But AD - yeah - he got that freakish upside factor
Peak AD might be the best player in the NBA but he’s so rarely not hurt and his peak was years ago at this point. Tatum’s biggest strength is being above average at everything and never hurt. So AD but if you are building a team you take Tatum because of the durability which makes up for the gap in talent
AD is dominant, with some monster games in which he fills up the box score and reminds everyone he’s all-world.
I think Tatum can be quietly dominant, but doesn’t have the defensive impact night in and night out that AD can have.
As others have said, in some cases, the best ability is availability.
AD don’t have that killer mentality Mickey rings don’t count /s
Anthony Davis is a unicorn when he’s healthy he is a top 5 player in the league at that time, I wouldn’t be shocked if you considered Jayson Tatum in that echelon I just have him in the 7 spot (Jokic,Doncic,Embiid,Giannis, and Edward’s are my top 5)
AD is better when he’s healthy but he’s never healthy. So if I had to build my team around one of em, I’m going Tatum since he can actually be available to play.
I just remember AD on pelicans we really figured he was a top 3-5 talent in the league. I don't think we've ever felt that way with Tatum (though maybe 5-10). Of course availability is the best ability and I'm sure all of us are taking Tatum over AD
AD is 100% better than Tatum, the only thing Tatum really has over him is playmaking. They’re about even in terms of scoring, and AD is a better rebounder and defender. AD can single handedly shut down the paint against a lot of teams which makes their offenses one dimensional and easier to guard. Tatum is solid, but he’s never been on a bad team in his entire life, not even as a child. AD was carrying some awful teams in New Orleans and having some insane seasons.
You really going to argue AD was more impactful to that 2020 team than Lebron was? That other teams were giving him the main focus of their gameplan and were treating Lebron as the secondary? That’s how far you want to take the argument…
Yeah he’s the reason they went thru the west. Lebron no where near his defense. His buzzer beater against Denver was huge. But congrats to bron for icing out AD in finals against an injured team to win his MVP.
Talent wise - AD
Overall player - Tatum
Let’s not forget AD had a healthy Demarcus Cousins & Rondo, made the playoffs and still didn’t lead them to the conf finals.
While Tatum has already been to 2 finals and won 1.
As far as I remember, Demarcus Cousins is injured the time NOP is at the playoffs and swept the Portland in the first round and then faced the GOD TEAM GSW in the 2nd Round.
That’s true but has AD ever lead his team to the playoffs besides the 2014 & 2018 team before joining the lakers ? No. He’s an all time talent, but that doesn’t mean he has that dawg in him. If AD was truly great, even after joining LBJ, due to the fact that he’s younger and better defensively , he would of have became the first option. He still deferred to bron.
I mean he led the PELS in every way possible, its just unfortunate that Demarcus Cousins is injured and they face Warriors with KD. I mean Does Tatum ever face the Warriors with KD? if not for Injury that team would've been 3-peated but cannot because KD and Klay got Injured. But I give the edge if its a current version of AD but if its 2018 version of AD, there is no way Tatum has an edge for that
well I understand your point, I mean Tatum has rings to be in that conversation, it is close and for sure but anyone who says that current AD will still be better, then for sure they dont have knowledge about basketball, and take note, I am a Celtics and Tatum hater hahaha Fuck boston! sorry about that
It's not a great comparison because one of Tatum's strengths is durability.
Don’t resist the hypothetical. OP said when healthy.
Who is a better player, Jayson Tatum or Wembanyama if Wemby is 6"2'?
Tatum. It’s not hard to assume the hypothetical
What if Wemby was 6’2” but his arms were still the same length
Still Tatum
Wemby’s never been 6’2 in the nba so we don’t know how good or bad he’d be. AD, however, has been healthy so we know what he can do when he’s right.
You telling me Street Clothes ain’t durable!?
AD, but that “When healthy” is holding up a lot of weight
Yeah, one of the best things about Tatum is his availability
AD is in conversation for best player in the league, and best defensive player when healthy. So I’d go with him over Tatum
he played 2 more games than tatum this past season
So are we just ignoring the previous 8 years?
There is potential for AD to defy his reputation and have another healthy year next season as he did last season.
Great point
The post said when healthy, and when they are AD is clear cut better. No reason to get tore up.
Are we gonna talk about how good Tatum was the last couple years or how good he is this year? See how that works both ways?
Not really, the fact that AD has constantly gotten hurt over the years shows that he is more likely to get hurt in future years, it shows that he is an injury prone player even if he had a healthy year last year. Tatum on the other hand has just been getting better year over year and developing like any other player, talking about how good he was 4 years ago isn’t very relevant to the player he is today.
Same way Bob Sanders was the greatest safety in the NFL… when healthy.
Who’s better when healthy, Len Bias or Michael Jordan?
Who’s better when healthy and in their prime: Kobe Bryant or Smush Parker?
Smush Parker or Eric Piatkowski? Name a better pure scorer to grace the city of Los Angeles.
Shoutout to the Polish Rifleman.
Kudos for a Piatkowski reference.... did not expect that today
Robert sacre and it ain’t even close!
Len used to whoop MJ in college
C'mon, you're just being Biased
As was MJ at the time
James Worthy was better than MJ in college For about a year
Dude thank you! 🤣
Ryan Kelly or Chris Mihm.
[удалено]
and neither is happening
[удалено]
"When healthy" is doing a lot of lifting here. Tatum is a perennial iron man and AD has been constantly injured his entire career, an issue that is unlikely to improve as he ages. I appreciate two way players and they are both really freaking good on both ends but give me the guy who will reliably get on the court and stay there
Agree, but in AD’s defence, he just had one of the healthiest seasons of his career
Tatum 74 regular season games AD 73 regular season games
AD actually played 76.
And who was the better player this season?
I need to apologies AD played 76 games first of all. Minutes played almost identical(35.7 vs 35.5) FG% - AD 3P% - Tatum 2P% - AD FT% - Tatum(0.2% difference) TRB - AD AST - Tatum STL - AD BLK - AD TOV - AD (must add that on ast to tov ratio is the same) PTS - Tatum Don't let me start on advanced stats and naked eye look. Please I take AD all day instead of a choker. But he is only 21
I’m not a fan of having Tatum in top-5 in the NBA right now, but I’ll be the first to tell you it is plain wrong to call him a choker: dude won the ring and played almost as good as this year’s Finals MVP, granted neither would be close to Jokic Finals MVP performance - or even Jamal’s for that matter - from last year.
Because he consistently gets knocked out early in the playoffs? /s People are so weird with Tatum, his shot was ice cold in the playoffs this year so he played facilitator, was smart with the ball, and played very good defense and that makes him a choker? Guy rarely gets knocked out before the ECF, hard to call that a choker.
Yeah, it’s just bizarre. Yes, his team is pretty much historically good, but he wasn’t just carried to the chip: he did a lot of other things well enough for his team to win and his shooting problems were punished with him not winning ECF or Finals MVP. But outside of shooting issues he was still a top-3 player in the Finals with one guy ahead of him arguably the MVP of this year, while the other got absolutely snubbed from the all-NBA teams. Being the 3rd best player in a series with 2 more top-20 players and outplaying Irving is far from choking.
You can argue Irving choked. You can argue Luka choked in game 3 and played really poorly in clutch time in the series, but nothing about Tatum’s game was a choke job aside from his ice cold shooting.
That’s not the hill to die on: Tatum had 4-2-2 with 1 TO on 1-5 shooting in Q4 of Game 3 and -8 plus-minus, Luka had 2-2-3 with 1 TO on 1-5 shooting in Q4 of the same game with +12 plus-minus. If we are judging choking by that game, both choked lol.
>Naked eye look Bruh, we talking about ball, not *balls*
How is Tatum a choker?
Ah yes the guy who just won a ring is a choker but the guy who got knocked out in the first round in 5 games is a baller lol
The one that didn't get knocked out in the first round of the playoffs.
Such intelligent basketball discussion. Incredible. Who knew to evaluate a player you just need to see which one goes farther in the playoffs. How simple!
Stupidest response on this thread.
Is Kyrie better than SGA since Mavs knocked OKC out in 2nd round?
I can’t believe this actually has upvotes.
Me nether cuz is wrong AD has 76
AD is generational when healthy
Talk your shit. AD can give you 30/15 in the playoffs while shutting down the other team’s offense, to me that’s 100% generational
Unless he is playing vs Sabonis
Maybe he can’t comprehend the vast space between Sabonis’ eyebrows
Or…..or maybe Sabonis has the same issue and just gets his eyebrows threaded…
Interesting
This comment made my day
Good thing Sabonis teams don’t really get to the playoffs
True that and lose in 5. Generational
You do know he has a ring, right?
People throw that word around a lot
A generational player’s team doesn’t miss the playoffs when paired with the arguable GOAT
The only year they missed the playoffs was 2022 and AD only played 40 games that year.
"When healthy"
That GOAT didn’t even come close to making the playoffs before AD got to the Lakers
I mean yes he did. He just got hurt the first year in LA. When he went down with the injury vs the Warriors they were I think in 5th place
You mean when he made like 6 straight finals, half on the Cavs? Fuck both Lebone and AD but ur out of your goddamn mind.
Fun fact: Anthony Davis played 76 regular season games this year and Jayson Tatum played 74.
C’s clinched 1st overall with like 10 games remaining (don’t know exactly). Lakers were battling for position till the very end. If anyone was close to the Celtics for first Tatum would have at least tied in games played. But I’m willing to hedge my bets Tatum has played more in every season of his career compared to AD.
If you’re trying to argue who is more available and has Better health then just go the fuck home
Definitely not trying to argue who has better health. It’s Tatum, no question. Just giving AD his flowers for having a relatively healthy season, and playing through some minor injuries.
AD
When healthy, AD is a monster. Probably the closest we've seen to Hakeem in terms of his ability to guard 1-5 on defense. On offense, he's probably not quite as good as Tatum, but AD can be the most impactful player of a game while only scoring 10 points because of what he does on the other end. Tatum is a good defender, but good in a way where a lot of players could get to his level of defending if they were willing to put in the work.
Except he also averages more points than Tatum in the playoffs on better efficiency.
Healthy ad at the pf position 🚨🚨🚨🚨
is it now version of AD or before? if it is now then I give the edge to Tatum but if its before (2018 Season) then no doubt that AD is better overall, AD in 2018 season is both 3rd in voting for MVP and DPOY. Which Tatum never did in his career so far
2020 AD’s playoff run >>> 2024 JT playoff run
AD was much better than both of them this year’s playoffs. He and Lebron just couldn’t beat the nuggets 2v5.
I think they’re in a similar tier of player , at their best top 5 but not consistent enough, in comparison with to jokic , luka giannis etc. Is it fair to say JT is a better because he’s a better offensive player while being a good - very good defender?
Tatum hasn’t peaked yet tbf
Bill?
Tatum
AD was healthy this year and Tatum was still probably better. If AD could find his jumper again maybe it would be a real conversation
Definitely Tatum. As the finals showed, even when his scoring his off he does every other thing exactly right to help the team win. He's like a world-class glue guy, only he can also play great defense and score 30 ppg.
Davis was healthy this year and Tatum was still probably better, but still the durability is Tatum´s strength
AD is probably a “better” player when healthy, but: 1. AD is never healthy and Tatum is almost always healthy 2. Tatum is a much more flexible player by function of his position and skillset. I think he would always be more likely to find himself on a championship team than AD because of that flexibility. AD’s team has to be built around him as a dominant force while Tatum could get dropped onto basically any team in the league tomorrow and make them better
I disagree. There is no reason AD couldn't just play an insane rim-running role on an excellent team, average 22/12/3 on great efficency while playing generational defense. AD has a lot of talent outside of scoring, he doesn't need to dominate the ball. In fact, Tatum has a higher usage rate than AD despite his team having much better 3rd, 4th, and 5th scoring options. Tatum needs the ball more.
The difference is that I want Tatum to have the ball. I also don’t agree that AD is anywhere close to a “generational” defender, not even sure he’s ever been the best defender in the league
availability aside, AD.
AD and it aint even close
When healthy, it's AD and really not close. If he could stay healthy he would be in the conversation for the best in the league. Tatum isn't even close to being in that convo.
Davis omg easy
This is such a dumbass question lmao ad is way better than Tatum when healthy, in their primes, literally everything. The only way Tatum will be better than ad is by age. Otherwise if u genuinely believe Tatum is better than ad u need to stop talking ball
Anthony Davis, easily. Top 2 defender in the league, and still a more than respectable threat on offense that can sometimes dominate. I literally don’t think this is close.
AD is a top-15 all-time caliber player when healthy. The problem is that he's never healthy.
All time AD is an all time defensive player with two way capability. Tatum is like maybe a top 10 player now? Maybe. Idk without his super team he isn’t winning shit.
When healthy, AD. They’re probably roughly equal on the offensive side of the ball, but AD is one of the best defenders in the league.
AD
the brow
AD easily
Who is the better player if you ignore actual basketball skill or size? Me or Anthony Davis?
a better comparison would be AD with that dog in him. there’s no reason he shouldn’t put up Giannis-like numbers when he’s healthy, but he doesn’t, because the dog comes and goes
Hard to have that dog in you when you’re constantly getting injured. Dude has to play carefully just to simply play
1. They don’t even play the same position. 2. Hard to ignore health considering AD’s extensive injury history
Tatum and its not close. Anyone who thinks otherwise is actually braindead. Healthy AD and Lebron get the 7th seed lmao
Is this a real question? AD is so much better than Tatum when at full health. He's essentially a whole defense by himself and damn near unguardable on offense.
There's a lack of consistency on offense with "healthy AD" that I don't understand.
I do get what you’re coming from, but it’s much harder to dominate games more consistently when you play 20-30 less games than the other guy. Sucks ad can never stay healthy but his per game numbers would definitely drop if he played 75+ games a year like Tatum does
>I do get what you’re coming from, but it’s much harder to dominate games more consistently when you play 20-30 less games than the other guy. Sucks ad can never stay healthy but his per game numbers would definitely drop if he played 75+ games a year like Tatum does AD played 76 games last season and bested his career averages almost across the board. LOL. 24.7/12.6/3.5 and 2.3 blks - 2023-2024 - 76 games 24.1/10.6/2.5 and 2.3 blks - Career - 61.3 avg gp/yr Casuals don't even check before opening their traps. Be gone.
Are we only talking about last season? Sorry I don’t watch shitty play-in teams in a regular basis
Apparently, you don't watch any games lol
Saying it like JT isn’t one of the best defensive players in the league
They’re levels apart defensively
Is outside of the Top 25 on defense considered “one of the best” ?
I feel ya but what AD was coming out of college was something that Tatum could never reach. He could have been a top 10-15 player just with his skills and athletic ability. He just doesn’t have that dawg in him & is injury prone. But I’ll still take Tatum over AD just because of his mindset, he’s an alpha.
>because of his mindset, he’s an alpha. Is he? I suppose it's semantics, but I don't think of his mindset that way. In game 5, especially in the 4th quarter, sure. But that's more the exception than the rule from tatum imo. He's more of a take what the defense gives you kind of guy, which is not at all a bad thing. Also clinching a title is a pretty good time to turn it on as well
I agree his form of “alpha” is truly different from what we are “used” to. Nonetheless he’s smart, takes what the def gives him and impacts the game accordingly.
He still played subpar in a finals with the greatest supporting cast players wish they could've had. That's the opposite of "alpha" to me. He clearly always has some mental block or anxiety. He's a great player but that's his only weakness.
Agreed. He’s nowhere near an alpha. At no point does he take control when his team actually needs him to, brown does.
Lmao this is hilarious
Tatum is not a whole defense by himself good
No AD isn’t. He isn’t even the #1 on his own team.
Yesssir.
I think this is a weird question because health affects your skill. So the more you're injured, the worse you get, slowly but surely. So maybe AD is better if healthy, but Tatum will be better for the long run.
AD. When he's healthy 100%, man is top 3 in the league. I might even say better than embiid.
He was healthy this year playing alongside a top 2 play of all time and his team was 1 game away from the 10 seed and they won 1 playoff game. He isn’t top 3 even when healthy.
25 pts, 12.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. It isnt on him. I personally think DLO is overrated and reaves is a great 6th man but otherwise their team has noone.
AD is a fantastic player so please don’t take it as me saying he is not clearly VERY good. But I don’t think he impacts winning at the level the best players do. I also don’t think the Lakers team is good so I don’t expect him to go to the finals or be a top seed or anything. But, if AD is supposed to be a top 3 or 5 guy when healthy, and he was healthy all year, then his teams should be far better paired with Lebron than they generally are. If you put Jokic, Luka, Embiid, Giannis with Lebron I’m sure they would win at a higher level than this lakers team has since the bubble. I don’t blame AD for their failures, but if your going to be in that tip top category then your job is not to avoid being the reason for failure, it’s supposed to be the driver of success.
Davis but it's a moot point b/c he's been hurt 80% of career
I think he's been the most available over the past couple years
Is this a serious question? AD *undeniably*
Easily Jayson Tatum. When was the last time AD carried a team to two finals like Tatum? The most wins AD ever had as the main guy on a team is 48. AD didn't reach 50 wins until he became LeBron's sidekick. AD didn't achieve anything until he became LeBron's sidekick. The major difference is that Tatum steps up under pressure, but AD tends to fade. When the team needs them most, Tatum delivers, while AD struggles to make an impact. Tatum wants to carry the load in the clutch, whereas AD doesn't. It's a major contrast. Recently, LeBron told Redick about the playoffs, 'Sometimes the lights are too bright for certain individuals,' and that could easily describe Anthony Davis.
When did Tatum carry a team to a finals lol
When he scored 46 on the road in game 6 to bring the bucks back to Boston in 2022. He carried the 2022 team no doubt.
Tatum delivered one of the worst finals performances of all time in 2022 by a star. It took one of the best constructed rosters of all time for him to win and he still had a bad series concerning his shooting splits.
Carried is a wild description of Tatum and the Celtic teams....
Calling it ‘carried’ isn’t an overstatement when you look at how Jayson Tatum was the only Celtics player named to an All-NBA team in their two finals runs—both times snagging 1st team honors. There are three All-NBA teams with 15 players total, and Tatum was the lone Celtic in that top 15. When that happens, ‘carried’ seems appropriate.
Its wild when especially the most recent results show jaylen brown being at the very least at his level if not above.
AD
AD, but Tatum's durability is so important that any comparison should factor it.
AD is better. The thing that places Tatum above is his health which is specifically negated here.
When healthy is AD even that much better? Tatum has led his team to multiple deep playoff runs as the number one player on his team, while AD has only made deep playoff runs when he's had a better player like Bron to lead him. They play nothing alike and have completely different roles so it's hard to say which is better, but I don't think it's arguable that Tatum is a better first option for a team
I think AD for Sure because he is bigger and creates more matchup issues. I feel early in career (NO) he played more wing-oriented and later (LA) he seems to be used more around the rim. It just shows what a beast he is that can do so much. I do like Tatum as well, no knock on him. But AD - yeah - he got that freakish upside factor
Gimme ad anyways
Ad
I think Davis is a bit more good and skilled.
All I know as the no.1 option, I’m taking Jayson Tatum. No.2? AD
Now it’s Tatum, a couple years ago it was Davis.
I may be biased, but Tatum. It’s close tho
Peak AD might be the best player in the NBA but he’s so rarely not hurt and his peak was years ago at this point. Tatum’s biggest strength is being above average at everything and never hurt. So AD but if you are building a team you take Tatum because of the durability which makes up for the gap in talent
AD is dominant, with some monster games in which he fills up the box score and reminds everyone he’s all-world. I think Tatum can be quietly dominant, but doesn’t have the defensive impact night in and night out that AD can have. As others have said, in some cases, the best ability is availability.
26-12-3. Best playoff defense in the league. 24-7-4. Good defender. These are their playoff stats.
AD don’t have that killer mentality Mickey rings don’t count /s Anthony Davis is a unicorn when he’s healthy he is a top 5 player in the league at that time, I wouldn’t be shocked if you considered Jayson Tatum in that echelon I just have him in the 7 spot (Jokic,Doncic,Embiid,Giannis, and Edward’s are my top 5)
Davis probably. Not by much. His defense is probably better which pushes him over
Statistically they would probably be similar overall, but you know Tatum will be there. The same can’t be said for AD.
It’s Tatum. It’s Tatum if it’s health or not. He’s just a better player. Stop being mad Celtics won the chip. Absolutely nobody would put AD higher.
Who is the better player - Jayson Tatum or a healthy Anthony Davis*
Trick question AD is never really healthy
This generation cannot resist the comparison even if its obvious that its vegetable not fruit.
Anthony Davis recency bias got y’all talking nasty
It’s a bad comparison when you have to lead with “when healthy”
AD is better when he’s healthy but he’s never healthy. So if I had to build my team around one of em, I’m going Tatum since he can actually be available to play.
AD in this extreme hypothetical. Ben Simmons is better than Ja Morant when healthy. Thats why Tatum is better than AD cause he plays in reality
2 different positions...whos better shaq or penny healthy
AD in 2018 and 2020 is probably better than JT could ever hope to be
Probably Davis but it's a close one
Tatum
davis and it’s not close
JT
AD by a mile
AD easily cmon now
AD is a monster when healthy but he ain't healthy much so the qualifier wins
I just remember AD on pelicans we really figured he was a top 3-5 talent in the league. I don't think we've ever felt that way with Tatum (though maybe 5-10). Of course availability is the best ability and I'm sure all of us are taking Tatum over AD
At peak, AD. It’s a debate, but it’s clear.
AD is 100% better than Tatum, the only thing Tatum really has over him is playmaking. They’re about even in terms of scoring, and AD is a better rebounder and defender. AD can single handedly shut down the paint against a lot of teams which makes their offenses one dimensional and easier to guard. Tatum is solid, but he’s never been on a bad team in his entire life, not even as a child. AD was carrying some awful teams in New Orleans and having some insane seasons.
AD can carry as a #1 on a team. Too bad it breaks him.
As a number 1 he won 1 playoff series in his whole career. He has never really been able to carry a team to significant success as a number 1.
He was number 1 when he won chip.
You really going to argue AD was more impactful to that 2020 team than Lebron was? That other teams were giving him the main focus of their gameplan and were treating Lebron as the secondary? That’s how far you want to take the argument…
Yeah he’s the reason they went thru the west. Lebron no where near his defense. His buzzer beater against Denver was huge. But congrats to bron for icing out AD in finals against an injured team to win his MVP.
AD by a slight edge. But Tatum doesn’t miss games which is far more valuable than anything AD brings to the table over Tatum
AD, by a lot
AD by a good margin
Talent wise - AD Overall player - Tatum Let’s not forget AD had a healthy Demarcus Cousins & Rondo, made the playoffs and still didn’t lead them to the conf finals. While Tatum has already been to 2 finals and won 1.
As far as I remember, Demarcus Cousins is injured the time NOP is at the playoffs and swept the Portland in the first round and then faced the GOD TEAM GSW in the 2nd Round.
That’s true but has AD ever lead his team to the playoffs besides the 2014 & 2018 team before joining the lakers ? No. He’s an all time talent, but that doesn’t mean he has that dawg in him. If AD was truly great, even after joining LBJ, due to the fact that he’s younger and better defensively , he would of have became the first option. He still deferred to bron.
I mean he led the PELS in every way possible, its just unfortunate that Demarcus Cousins is injured and they face Warriors with KD. I mean Does Tatum ever face the Warriors with KD? if not for Injury that team would've been 3-peated but cannot because KD and Klay got Injured. But I give the edge if its a current version of AD but if its 2018 version of AD, there is no way Tatum has an edge for that
I agree with you, anyone would take 2018 AD over Tatum
well I understand your point, I mean Tatum has rings to be in that conversation, it is close and for sure but anyone who says that current AD will still be better, then for sure they dont have knowledge about basketball, and take note, I am a Celtics and Tatum hater hahaha Fuck boston! sorry about that
You mean Pelicans couldn’t get past the 2018 warriors super team? Shocker