We're talking about this in the Jayson Tatum thread but it's not really about *Jayson Tatum.*
I mentioned Kemba Walker causes some roster construction issues due to his size. He limits what you can do at the SG position and to a lesser extent, how you can build your bench. Out of the current big 5, I think he's actually the worst fit alongside Tatum. I don't think he's a bad fit, just the worst among Smart, Brown and Hayward. I'm not sure if trading him is in the cards but I don't think finding players to build around him is that hard, it just means no Bradley Beal, Damian Lillard or CJ McCollum. Ideally, I'd be looking to trade Kemba Walker and keeping Gordon Hayward. I wouldn't be opposed to moving both either but I prefer Hayward over Walker on a team with Jayson Tatum.
I think Jaylen Brown is the perfect #3 on a team with Tatum and wouldn't be looking to trade him unless it was an offer you couldn't refuse. Like Dallas offering Doncic+filler. I don't know who said it, but Jaylen Brown is an all star level player despite being a garbage man. He plays the role at an elite level.
Hayward is a good fit but we aren't really sure what his future holds and also seems like the most likely guy to trade away. I think any deal with Hayward would see us downgraded at the position (upgrade in shooting) while acquiring other chips.
Deals like Evan Fournier + Mo Bamba for Hayward. Or Otto Porter + Coby White for Hayward. I don't know if those deals are actually available. I could also see the C's and Pacers making a deal work around Myles Turner and Gordon Hayward. I think Myles Turner would be a perfect fit alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. That would be deadly defensively.
Marcus Smart fits on pretty much any team if he's hitting 34-36% of his 3 pointers.
Other guys don't really matter much as they are role players but ideally the team would have a big who can space the floor more than the current trio. That's another reason I really like Myles Turner. Mostly I like Myles Turner due to the defensive implications though.
So here's the question, looking forward, how would you build the team around Jayson Tatum?
I mentioned Kemba Walker causes some roster construction issues due to his size. He limits what you can do at the SG position and to a lesser extent, how you can build your bench. Out of the current big 5, I think he's actually the worst fit alongside Tatum. I don't think he's a bad fit, just the worst among Smart, Brown and Hayward. I'm not sure if trading him is in the cards but I don't think finding players to build around him is that hard, it just means no Bradley Beal, Damian Lillard or CJ McCollum. Ideally, I'd be looking to trade Kemba Walker and keeping Gordon Hayward. I wouldn't be opposed to moving both either but I prefer Hayward over Walker on a team with Jayson Tatum.
I think Jaylen Brown is the perfect #3 on a team with Tatum and wouldn't be looking to trade him unless it was an offer you couldn't refuse. Like Dallas offering Doncic+filler. I don't know who said it, but Jaylen Brown is an all star level player despite being a garbage man. He plays the role at an elite level.
Hayward is a good fit but we aren't really sure what his future holds and also seems like the most likely guy to trade away. I think any deal with Hayward would see us downgraded at the position (upgrade in shooting) while acquiring other chips.
Deals like Evan Fournier + Mo Bamba for Hayward. Or Otto Porter + Coby White for Hayward. I don't know if those deals are actually available. I could also see the C's and Pacers making a deal work around Myles Turner and Gordon Hayward. I think Myles Turner would be a perfect fit alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. That would be deadly defensively.
Marcus Smart fits on pretty much any team if he's hitting 34-36% of his 3 pointers.
Other guys don't really matter much as they are role players but ideally the team would have a big who can space the floor more than the current trio. That's another reason I really like Myles Turner. Mostly I like Myles Turner due to the defensive implications though.
So here's the question, looking forward, how would you build the team around Jayson Tatum?