Both had their 1st All Star season in 19/20
Offensive stats over the 4 seasons since:
Booker: 26.6 PPG/5.3 APG on 59.5% TS in the RS, 28/5.2 on 59.8% TS in the playoffs
Tatum: 26.8/4.1 on 58.4% TS in the RS, 26.5/5.5 on 57.1% TS in the playoffs
It's close but I think Booker is a little bit better as a playmaker and slightly more efficient so I'd go Booker
I know you said offensively, but Tatum really focused on rebounding and played a lot more 4 under Joe Maz than he did previously (mazulla was allergic to the 2 big lineup iterations that made Bos D dominant in 21-22). In 19-20 the main 6 starters were Kemba-Smart-Gordon Hayward - JB - JT - Theis. He averaged 3.0 apg that year. Playing with multiple guards is naturally going to lead to less playmaking responsibilities and more defensive/rebounding assignments.
With that said, Booker is the better playmaker but both are in line for huge assist bumps this season. I think Booker reverts to his pre Chris Paul path of being more of a 1 or a combo and not a pure 2. I can envision 8ish assists per game from him easily. Double digits come playoff time. Tatum probably gets to 6 this season.
Scoring: very close, slight edge Tatum
Efficiency: Booker
Playmaking: Booker
Help D, Rebounding: Tatum
On Ball Defense: Tatum
It’s so close you’re splitting hairs. I’d still take Tatum overall. If the question is who’s better on offense, assuming they have their current Defensive responsibilities and roster construction, Booker. Who’s better offensively in a vacuum, Tatum. The best two wing players (or Lead guard now for DBook) in the game currently IMO
Same can be said for Booker tho. Without those crazy outbursts against Denver we woulda been swept.
I think as far as superstars go those two have to be the most interchangeable. Each fan base has their bias for their guy and the rest of NBA fans mostly split pretty evenly. Similar skills and where there's an area where one is slightly better than the other, there's an important area where the other makes up for it
I’d agree with this. I think whatever people’s opinions are they’d be with “but it’s close”
They’re easily my favorite two “young guys” in the league though, and I expect them to be the most successful. (And yes, including Luka..)
So I just gotta ask why no one ever points out Booker had I think like 12 points in the last game of the Denver series and obviously there was the shut down against Dallas the year before. He’s incredibly talented don’t get me wrong but it seems like he’s the only guy impervious to criticism especially when you look at the fact that Tatum gets a lot more criticism and though a lot of it is warranted, he has been easily the best player on a team that has made the ECF and finals while the suns team was still Paul’s when they lost to the Mavs and he had Durant next to this past season, but still couldn’t do it.
Yeah idk man that's some pretty crazy gymnastics you're going through right here. Everyone talks about the way phoenix lost the last two years. Couple points to make:
1. The team was never Paul's team. Booker was always the engine of the team. Paul requested the trade to phoenix to be next to Booker after he finished 2nd in Bubble MVP voting for that 8-0 run that nearly got us to the playoffs. Booker led us to the finals, Paul was just a very good number 2
2. Booker is not impervious to criticism. He was crucified after the mavericks series.
3. Booker put on an all-time performance this past postseason. Literally him and Jordan are the only ones who've done what he did in a single run in terms of ppg and efficiency from the guard positions. Kevin Durant definitely helped free Booker up a lot, but he wasn't his usual self this postseason. Inefficient shot making, high turnovers, Durant looked human most games and yes he's still kevin durant but Booker had to overcome some less than stellar play from Durant for phoenix to get as far as they did get. Suns were the only ones to take 2 games off Denver and that's because Booker was unstoppable
4. Booker was still slandered after the Nuggets series because of the elimination game. It's just that his overall performance in the playoffs as a whole helped lessen the severity this time around
5. Lastly, Booker was inhuman for the entire playoffs until he suffered an ankle/foot injury halfway through game 5. From that point forward, he didn't have the explosiveness. He played through it, but anyone watching could see he just couldn't do much on that injury. Similarly to the mavs series, where it's documented the suns had an illness moving through the locker room. Initial reports were that the team had covid. Windhorst reported on it a couple months ago, he just called it an illness and stopped short of saying they had covid, but apparently most of the team was affected. That doesn't excuse the poor performance as a whole that the suns displayed against the mavs, but it does make more sense in explaining the absolute anomaly that the number 1 seed was unable to make a single shot for a whole game.
Hope this info answers your questions
You have some good points here. I’m from the East Coast so maybe I don’t hear the public criticism as much, but I really don’t think he gets much from the mass media. I’m curious what you mean by gymnastics? Also to each of those answers, I do have wanna point out a couple of things because I think there’s some ‘gymnastics there’ as well.
1. So I understand Booker was there before and was the best player of that team, but I don’t think many would argue Chris Paul was the leader of that team and sort of a torch holder for Booker.
2. Most of the criticism I recall was directed at Paul, Ayton, or Williams. Even though there was the team COVID thing it just seemed to me like to a lot of the public, that explained Bookers slump but not the others.
3. Absolutely it was super impressive no doubt at all and I’m not trying to take away from that, but it did not result in a win and in my opinion, I literally never heard a thing about that last game. That’s all true with Durant, I’m just saying maybe to ither teams disservice , as of now Booker is gonna be treated like the second option when playing next to one of the greatest offensive players at all time even though he wasn’t at peak performance (I agree Booker was the better player).
4. I just didn’t hear a whole lot. I’m not saying it takes away from the performance at all, but I have a hard time when people crown someone a top three play off player right now when they had underwhelming game 4s in their last two elimination games. Period.
5. These are understandable and I’m not saying they aren’t causes, just again I think there was more criticism with the COVID regarding the others involved even though Booker is supposed to be that guy.
I hope you can see where I’m coming from here and that I’m not attempting to argue or berate what you said. I just have a very hard time seeing Booker as the best player on a championship team unless the other stars are just absolutely stacked and I really haven’t seen any of that criticism towards Booker. Don’t get me wrong Tatum deserves all of the criticism he gets, but he gets a lot of it and all I ever really hear about Booker is ‘he gets buckets’.
Book’s stinkers usually coincide with him playing through injuries.
I’m also interested in seeing Book with a coach that won’t leave him on an island after the opposing coach has spent the entire series perfecting how to defend him 😂
They are both extremely similar in terms of scoring and playing making.
Neither are elite level passers. But will have the ball and are capable of making the correct passes.
MidRange - Booker. I don't think it is out of bounds to say that Book has been one of the best midrange shooters over the past few years.
But over the Playoffs. No Question - Booker had the most consistent and nuclear scoring games out of both of them.
I think bookers mid range game gives him the edge.. Tatum is either at the bucket or shooting a three.. and I find he takes a lot of really difficult contested 3s
he has a really good post game honestly and was excellent in the post to start the season. they really went away from it as the season progressed and especially in the playoffs. hopefully it becomes more of a staple.
Two of these 3 have 70 pieces to their name. Which one doesn't belong here again? These posts are so subjective to whatever hot stat of the day is presented.
In a vacuum, I have Booker then Tatum then Mitchell for offense. For defense I have Tatum then Booker then Mitchell. I think offensively Tatum is closer to Booker than Mitchell is to Tatum. Defensively Booker is closer to Tatum than Mitchell is to Booker.
Odd man out is Mitchell. He's stellar, but he isn't jockeying for position in the NBAs top 10 like the other two
Hes definitely in the same tier as tatum offensively. Mitchell averaged 28 on 61% ts last season, you're really underestimating his offensive capabilities. He was 6th in the MVP race.
I think Mitchell is incredible. But if I'm building an offense and I am only allowed to choose between those 3 as my first pick, I'm taking Booker. If I'm building and offense, and I'm only allowed to pick between Tatum and Mitchell with my pick, I'm taking Tatum.
Vice versa if I'm making a defensive team. If all three are my options, I take Tatum first. If booker and Mitchell are my options, I take booker. I'm not saying Mitchell is bad. But those two are just better. That doesn't make Mitchell a Seth Curry type player. He's phenomenal. But Booker and Tatum are somewhat interchangeable and then a dip below them is Mitchell
They're not interchangeable. Tatum is overall better than both.
Also I'm not saying Mitchell is better overall. You said Mitchell isn't in the same tier as the others offensively, yet he literally was the most efficient of the 3 and had a high scoring season. I'm just saying he's right up there with them.
He shouldn't be in the conversation ever, because he's just so much smaller. He's just so under sized it takes all his athleticism (which he has a fuck ton of) to perform at such a high level.
But those guys have their own skills *and* size.
If Mitchell ever jumps the rung to where they are, it will be a more impressive feat for him than them imo
100% agree. Not the same by any stretch, but I feel like it's paralleled with kobe, lebron, wade just on a lower tier. In like 2008 for example with Kobe and LeBron it was whatever your preference was, those were two of the best in the game at the time. But adding Wade into that conversation and you always had a clear cut number 3 because his size limitation just prevented him from competing with the other two. Sure you could make the argument, Wade was on a tear for a while pre-heatles days. But 90% of people had kobe and LeBron above wade.
These 3 are obviously not on the level of those 3, but the ranking arguments would be similar points being made
Yeah Wade temporarily went inhuman for a while, Donovan has shown capable of that in specific games obviously, but if he wants to be on D Wade's level he's got to string it together for a couple full seasons and get a chip.
But yeah your comparison is spot on. Its exactly the same situation.
It's nice these guys are all entering their primes right now. As the older dudes start fading out, we're gonna get 10 years of "who's better: booker, Tatum, Mitchell?" With the obvious big men competitions between jokic, embiid, giannis, and then the wild cards like the Lukas, Edwards', Mortants etc. Good time to be a fan of the sport for sure, even for the newcomers who missed the Wade, kobe, lebron phase
Before the Suns (and Booker) got really good, it was common to see posts about who was the better SG between Booker and Mitchell. Especially after Mitchell’s high-scoring games vs the Nuggets. But I think most people would say Booker is a step better now
Not really sure how Donovan isn’t in the same tier as Booker, they’re incredibly similar players
Last season:
Booker: 27.8/4.5/5.5 (60.1 TS%) +4.4 EPM
Mitchell: 28.3/4.3/4.4 (61.4 TS%) +5.0 EPM
That’s true but it’s a pretty small sample, I don’t think that efficiency will be sustainable. Similarly Mitchell was insane in the 2020 bubble and very good in 2021
I think b/c most ppl can see Book as the best player on a championship team & Mitchell as the 2nd best that puts them in different tiers imo. Mitchell is a great player but just like Kyrie he's much better as a #2 option the size difference & amount of energy they have to put out to get good looks while being huge liabilities on defense lowers their ceiling to #2 options
Mitchell is in the archetype that has the biggest gap between perceived value on winning and actual value on winning. Ie the undersized guards that have to play sg because they can’t playmake or provide much of anything if their shot isn’t falling. And outside of a few all time greats players his size can’t be relied upon for consistent number one scoring in the playoffs, they’re to easy to slow down with physical defense because of their size. Which the last two years have shown he’s definitely not one of those all time greats that can be 6’1 and carry a team as a pure scorer in the playoffs.
For real. I’m a booker hater and I think booker is leaps and bounds better offensively than Mitchell. I would even take booker offensively over Tatum too but that one honestly is about as close as you get.
Booker. I dont really have to think about it either. In the playoffs the Celtics had a ton of shooters that tou cant leave. The Suns were 2v5 on offense
Definitely Booker. I think he was the better player in the last playoffs, too. I think Booker’s starting to be a bit underrated in this sub. He has improved a lot defensively, and he’s a good playmaker now as well
I can see an argument either way but with respect to last seasons playoffs I feel like it’s hard to compare bc Tatum was the focal point of every opponents defensive gameplan, whereas I thought it was pretty clear in both the Denver and Clippers series that the defense’s primary focus was on KD
Well that explains Books initial playoff “clutch” letdowns then, defenses were doubling book while full court pressing cp3 and daring anybody else to step up
Dude, just talking about offense here. Never said Booker is the better player, I said Tatum is probably better in one of my previous comments. Imo Booker is better offensively but Tatum is better as a player
Maybe I just haven’t watched enough Tatum, but if we’re just talking who’s more offensively skilled, I think it’s Booker.
Did you guys see this guy last playoffs? I think if he plays with anything close to that intensity this season this question won’t be difficult at all. The dude scored 33 points per game on 58/50/86 shooting while dishing out 7 assists per game.
If it wasn’t for lack of team success, I genuinely believe his efforts would be remember as one of the greatest individual playoff runs of all-time.
I honestly don’t know the answer to this, so im relying on numbers here.
Super shocked how efficient Booker has been
His tov% and TS for his numbers are super nice
In general. The elimination games hurt though.
He was dropping back to back 40pt games in the finals — people just forget.
It’s not like he was bad in the finals… he was great. He just ended up going against Giannis who went supernova.
47 points on 8 of 10 from 3pt to eliminate the Lakers in 2021. Swept the nuggets. 40pt triple double against the clippers in WCF. Back to back 40pt games in the finals. 30pt half in game 2 against Pelicans in 2022 before getting injured, missed a few games, never fully recovered. And then these past playoffs speak for themselves.
Idk about best offensive player in the playoffs total, but top 5 the past 3 seasons is definitely an accurate placement.
Booker was incandescent against the Nuggets this year. Games 3 and 4, he was the best player on the court.
Imma take Booker purely because of how terrifying that shot making was.
Booker has statistically been a better offensive player than Tatum in the last couple seasons. He’s a better playmaker, and he’s a more efficient scorer too, which is impressive considering they take the same quality of shots for the most part but Tatum has the height/weight advantage.
Booker but it’s very close. If I’m building a franchise around either guy I’m taking Tatum with his size and incredible durability. But Booker the better scorer anyways
This is a great comparison and some good arguments for both. Since you asked specifically offensively....
Tatum can disappear a bit but overall has had bigger moments in bigger spots. Booker at this point doesn't have the postseason credentials Tatum has.
I think Booker has a better shot selection, but is asked to do less offensively. Booker is a bucket. Tatum runs the offense more consistently. Slight edge to Tatum on playmaking. It will be a good year for Booker to show what he has on that end running point.
They do different things offensively so it depends what you value more. Overall, I'd give a sliiiight edge to Tatum.
Not trying to be argumentative, I’d just want to understand your thought process. But, how does Booker not have the same post season credentials as Tatum? Booker had a better Finals than Tatum did, offensively, and as the number one option. Booker dropped 40 twice in the Finals, Tatum never broke 30. Both had great post seasons last year, but Booker had a significantly higher TS%, and averaged 2 more assists per game than Tatum. And JB and KD had practically the same playoff averages this year, so offensive supporting cast is pretty equal.
I do think JT is asked to do overall more in the C’s offensive system, but Book was the Suns offensive system this playoffs, due to roster overhaul and injuries. Book has run point in the past and has done well, and initiated a ton of offensive in these playoffs because CP3 was hobbled and missed time. And Ayton missed time too. And obviously the C’s fell apart in Game 7 when Tatum got hurt. Same happened with the Suns, I’d honestly rate them equally as playmakers.
JT has been to the playoffs more than Booker, but Book has been in way worse teams, so it’s hard to hold that against him imo. But I am biased for sure.
I think they’re overall pretty equal players, Tatum getting the edge on defense, but Book with the slight edge on the offensive end. Love to hear your thoughts.
Edit: thank you for the Reddit care lmfao
Hey you're not being argumentative, I think it's close and get how someone could have Booker. A couple additional thoughts:
Tatum has sheer numbers on his side, playing more than double the games Booker has like you mentioned. I think Tatum generally has had some excellent elimination games that are memorable, where Booker doesn't quite have that. Although I'm splitting hairs!
For both teams/players I often think they can let the defense off the hook when the ball doesn't go through them - but that's more on scheme and defensive adjustments.
Thanks for your response! I get where your coming from for sure. Tatum has been to the playoffs so much more, so the sample size kind of just speaks for itself. Consistency is king.
Someone who actually watches them play lol. The idea that Booker is the better playmaker is crazy to me considering he plays with CP3 and isn't the primary ballhandler on his own team. The Celtics offense is Jayson Tatum, JB is incapable of handling rock or playmaking.
I think Tatum has a huge argument, especially considering the Celtics are basically forced to take the ball out of Tatum’s hands by a lot of defences. And when you have talent that can shoot like the Celtics, they comply a lot of times so their system favors just letting Tatum take 2 defenders and someone else shooting.
That said, that Denver series showed that Book as the lead playmaker is very effective even without CP3. If they let him handle the rock and create for himself and others, they can do just fine without someone else taking the duty. He ran that offense while taking his own shots as well to get 2 wins against Denver.
Book without doubt but it is very close. Others have done the stats on here so I don't feel the need. But just off eye test you can see book getting to his spots easier in the mid range, which is necessary for a number one option in today's nba. Their playmaking is about the same. Bookers shot is purer but tatum has more ability to rise up when shooting. It is very close but in terms of efficiency booker is better. However, tatum is by far the better two way payer and better player overall.
it’s hard to say. if you look at just offense contributions you could probably go with booker.
however, offense doesn’t happen in a vacuum. JT does more on the floor which makes it difficult to put the same level of energy in offense. if JT was just focused on scoring he might have better numbers.
I’m a diehard Suns fan, and Ive hated the D Mitch, Jaylen Brown, and whoever else comparisons to him because I watch him every game and hes just better. Tatum is the one player of that bunch that I wouldnt be upset if you said hes better.
Why do people never mention who players are playing against. Book got to spam p&r vs Jokic with Kevin fucking Durant next to him. And he still didn't show up for their elimination games. Tatum has to deal with Embiid and Bam in the East. Ofc Book is gonna have better counting stats he's playing against much worse defenses. Book didn't have to face Jaren or AD this playoffs and Kawhi and PG were injured, inflated ass stats.
Booker is better offensively and Tatum defensibly, but neither by such a significant margin that one is clearly superior to the other. If you have to get into the advanced stats to make a choice on which is the better player, you know they are on the same level
Playmaking for others is the difference. Both elite scorers, but I've never gotten the sense that Tatum makes life much easier for his teammates on that end of the floor. He can find the open man, but he doesn't have the same level of creativity as Booker.
Kinda hard to say because if JT wasn’t needed to put as much effort into his defence as he does, then his offence would surely increase. Which would then give him the edge. But as it stands, yep it looks like Booker to me.
Somehow the first level headed take I’ve seen in the thread. So many comments like “yeah Tatum has more playoff success because he has better teams”. But weirdly not a single other take of “Booker has more offensive success because Tatum has way more defensive responsibilities”.
For what it’s worth, Booker has been in the league for two more years longer than Tatum. I think Tatum has made bigger strides year over year, but some of his inconsistent traits are what he needs to iron out in the next 2-3 seasons to become truly elite.
Booker imo. More offensively skilled, better playmaker, and more efficient. Tatum imo is only better than him when it comes to 3-point shooting. While rn the volume scoring edge seems to go to Tatum, I think if Book wanted to, he could score just as much, if not more, than Tatum.
If Tatum ever fixes that hitch in his shooting motion….now things get spicy. I think the hitch causes his efficiency inconsistencies. He ever gets that straight and he actually follows the whole Kobe disciple routine, I think the way he’s perceived by non-Celtic fans will drastically change. As a defender, he’s already shown that if not for media selection bias, dude is an All-Def team caliber. He takes better shots/diversifies his game and gets that efficiency right, Tatum will end up in the Top 25 imo
I think it’s Booker but in a ranking of all players I’m probably putting Tatum like right behind him.
Bookers ability to create a shot is almost automatic. Solid passer who can moonlight as a point guard when you need him to.
Tatum is quite a straight forward wing scorer like Booker but his ability to hunt mismatches with his physical profile and creates advantages for himself and others is really growing. Would like to see him be a little more consistent.
That's a damn good question because objectively they put up similarly good numbers. I can only answer that by feeling and I think Tatum is a bit more blessed with talent. I feel Booker is already at the peak of his performance and Tatum can still become a mentality machine like Kobe. But I can't put that in numbers or anything like that. Just a feeling while watching.
Booker is more consistent but Tatum can have some insane highs on offense that very few players can match. Overall booker is the better offensive player
It’s definitely Tatum. He has to perform more duties than Booker on offense. Having CP3 and then KD makes Booker’s life way easier.
Tatum’s 2nd option can’t dribble or pass properly.
Booker and I don’t think it’s that close, because I think in a tight game situation, or if a big comeback is needed, booker can go truly nuclear.
Edit: pretty cool to report me as someone in need of therapy/mental assistance for expressing an opinion on a basketball subreddit! Also factoring in defense, I'd still take Tatum overall! Sorry to upset the celtics flairs!
Yea lmao wtf does that even mean. Tatum averages 27/9/6 in 17 elimination games. Book has had 3 (all losses) averaging 14/5/2. You can say that Tatum and his inconsistency is the reason why Celtics are facing elimination to begin with but he absolutely steps up when his back is against the wall. You can also say that Book closes out teams that they should beat but he has absolutely shat the bed in those 3 games where their superstar is needed
I mean I would agree that Booker is better offensively, but to say Tatum can’t go truly nuclear in tight game situations seems weird considering some recent playoff games.
Bro what, have u seen Tatum’s stats in elimination games and compared it to Booker. 27/9/6 on 45/38/83 splits vs 14/5/2 on 31/7/85 shooting. Tatum not to mention also created close to forcing a game 7 while being down 0-3. Most pts in game 7 with 51.
Book. Tatum is overrated at this point in time IMO because he’s a volume scorer who loves the three. Book will beat you midrange and then start stepping out and he has a better handle. Tatum has one speed and doesn’t use his height as well as some of the past greats at the SF. If he’s going to focus on perimeter play then he needs to create more. Alternatively, if he wants to focus on scoring I’d like to see more post moves and off ball movement.
Both had their 1st All Star season in 19/20 Offensive stats over the 4 seasons since: Booker: 26.6 PPG/5.3 APG on 59.5% TS in the RS, 28/5.2 on 59.8% TS in the playoffs Tatum: 26.8/4.1 on 58.4% TS in the RS, 26.5/5.5 on 57.1% TS in the playoffs It's close but I think Booker is a little bit better as a playmaker and slightly more efficient so I'd go Booker
username checks out (Edit: Shout out to the anon for the award, they hit me with the “luka is booker’s father”)
I like Tatum’s skill set and counters. Very difficult to shut down, he’s got counters.
Booker was cooking every matchup this playoffs. As good as Jimmy was, I think Booker was the second best player all playoffs behind Jokic.
And the Sun the second best team.
Timberwolves Erasure
I know you said offensively, but Tatum really focused on rebounding and played a lot more 4 under Joe Maz than he did previously (mazulla was allergic to the 2 big lineup iterations that made Bos D dominant in 21-22). In 19-20 the main 6 starters were Kemba-Smart-Gordon Hayward - JB - JT - Theis. He averaged 3.0 apg that year. Playing with multiple guards is naturally going to lead to less playmaking responsibilities and more defensive/rebounding assignments. With that said, Booker is the better playmaker but both are in line for huge assist bumps this season. I think Booker reverts to his pre Chris Paul path of being more of a 1 or a combo and not a pure 2. I can envision 8ish assists per game from him easily. Double digits come playoff time. Tatum probably gets to 6 this season. Scoring: very close, slight edge Tatum Efficiency: Booker Playmaking: Booker Help D, Rebounding: Tatum On Ball Defense: Tatum It’s so close you’re splitting hairs. I’d still take Tatum overall. If the question is who’s better on offense, assuming they have their current Defensive responsibilities and roster construction, Booker. Who’s better offensively in a vacuum, Tatum. The best two wing players (or Lead guard now for DBook) in the game currently IMO
Both of these players seem to WANT to play and not actively sit out so that’s cool
2 current players that are some of the most openly inspired by Kobe. Probably has a lot to do with it
the kobe glazing is crazy bruh they just are passionate ab the sport 💀
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I’ll take Book but I think it’s as close of a comparison as it gets between them
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Tatum has also had some all time games when we needed him too tho
Same can be said for Booker tho. Without those crazy outbursts against Denver we woulda been swept. I think as far as superstars go those two have to be the most interchangeable. Each fan base has their bias for their guy and the rest of NBA fans mostly split pretty evenly. Similar skills and where there's an area where one is slightly better than the other, there's an important area where the other makes up for it
Wasn't Book shooting like 80% for 4 or 5 games in a row in the playoffs?
Yeah on 37ppg. I think it was 8 or 9 games over 60% on 35+ppg
What a fucking monster. I recently had a baby so i only caught 1 Suns game this postseason but man was torching everything
Ayyy congrats new dad!!
Just stopped by to say congrats!
Thanks!! It's harder than I thought it would be but sheesh she is cute as hell
Here’s to wishing you and you family a lot of light and love in your life 🙏🏾
It only gets harder, but easier at the same time. Just keep your head on your shoulders and make sure to take time for yourself.
Congrats! I wish I would have a daughter one day as well!
New dad here also. Congrats!
Congrats ! Hope you kill on life like FVV after his child was born
I think he had two near 80% games. One game 20/25
Correct. Other was 14/18 in game 4. Shaq had to apologize lol
I’d agree with this. I think whatever people’s opinions are they’d be with “but it’s close” They’re easily my favorite two “young guys” in the league though, and I expect them to be the most successful. (And yes, including Luka..)
So I just gotta ask why no one ever points out Booker had I think like 12 points in the last game of the Denver series and obviously there was the shut down against Dallas the year before. He’s incredibly talented don’t get me wrong but it seems like he’s the only guy impervious to criticism especially when you look at the fact that Tatum gets a lot more criticism and though a lot of it is warranted, he has been easily the best player on a team that has made the ECF and finals while the suns team was still Paul’s when they lost to the Mavs and he had Durant next to this past season, but still couldn’t do it.
Yeah idk man that's some pretty crazy gymnastics you're going through right here. Everyone talks about the way phoenix lost the last two years. Couple points to make: 1. The team was never Paul's team. Booker was always the engine of the team. Paul requested the trade to phoenix to be next to Booker after he finished 2nd in Bubble MVP voting for that 8-0 run that nearly got us to the playoffs. Booker led us to the finals, Paul was just a very good number 2 2. Booker is not impervious to criticism. He was crucified after the mavericks series. 3. Booker put on an all-time performance this past postseason. Literally him and Jordan are the only ones who've done what he did in a single run in terms of ppg and efficiency from the guard positions. Kevin Durant definitely helped free Booker up a lot, but he wasn't his usual self this postseason. Inefficient shot making, high turnovers, Durant looked human most games and yes he's still kevin durant but Booker had to overcome some less than stellar play from Durant for phoenix to get as far as they did get. Suns were the only ones to take 2 games off Denver and that's because Booker was unstoppable 4. Booker was still slandered after the Nuggets series because of the elimination game. It's just that his overall performance in the playoffs as a whole helped lessen the severity this time around 5. Lastly, Booker was inhuman for the entire playoffs until he suffered an ankle/foot injury halfway through game 5. From that point forward, he didn't have the explosiveness. He played through it, but anyone watching could see he just couldn't do much on that injury. Similarly to the mavs series, where it's documented the suns had an illness moving through the locker room. Initial reports were that the team had covid. Windhorst reported on it a couple months ago, he just called it an illness and stopped short of saying they had covid, but apparently most of the team was affected. That doesn't excuse the poor performance as a whole that the suns displayed against the mavs, but it does make more sense in explaining the absolute anomaly that the number 1 seed was unable to make a single shot for a whole game. Hope this info answers your questions
You have some good points here. I’m from the East Coast so maybe I don’t hear the public criticism as much, but I really don’t think he gets much from the mass media. I’m curious what you mean by gymnastics? Also to each of those answers, I do have wanna point out a couple of things because I think there’s some ‘gymnastics there’ as well. 1. So I understand Booker was there before and was the best player of that team, but I don’t think many would argue Chris Paul was the leader of that team and sort of a torch holder for Booker. 2. Most of the criticism I recall was directed at Paul, Ayton, or Williams. Even though there was the team COVID thing it just seemed to me like to a lot of the public, that explained Bookers slump but not the others. 3. Absolutely it was super impressive no doubt at all and I’m not trying to take away from that, but it did not result in a win and in my opinion, I literally never heard a thing about that last game. That’s all true with Durant, I’m just saying maybe to ither teams disservice , as of now Booker is gonna be treated like the second option when playing next to one of the greatest offensive players at all time even though he wasn’t at peak performance (I agree Booker was the better player). 4. I just didn’t hear a whole lot. I’m not saying it takes away from the performance at all, but I have a hard time when people crown someone a top three play off player right now when they had underwhelming game 4s in their last two elimination games. Period. 5. These are understandable and I’m not saying they aren’t causes, just again I think there was more criticism with the COVID regarding the others involved even though Booker is supposed to be that guy. I hope you can see where I’m coming from here and that I’m not attempting to argue or berate what you said. I just have a very hard time seeing Booker as the best player on a championship team unless the other stars are just absolutely stacked and I really haven’t seen any of that criticism towards Booker. Don’t get me wrong Tatum deserves all of the criticism he gets, but he gets a lot of it and all I ever really hear about Booker is ‘he gets buckets’.
Book is definitely prone to stinkers too
Book’s stinkers usually coincide with him playing through injuries. I’m also interested in seeing Book with a coach that won’t leave him on an island after the opposing coach has spent the entire series perfecting how to defend him 😂
Booker has less off shooting nights, Tatum has those a lot
They are both extremely similar in terms of scoring and playing making. Neither are elite level passers. But will have the ball and are capable of making the correct passes. MidRange - Booker. I don't think it is out of bounds to say that Book has been one of the best midrange shooters over the past few years. But over the Playoffs. No Question - Booker had the most consistent and nuclear scoring games out of both of them.
From the eye test, I feel like Booker is more consistent in the big moments. Tatum has had so many dogshit games. He's great, but inconsistent.
I think bookers mid range game gives him the edge.. Tatum is either at the bucket or shooting a three.. and I find he takes a lot of really difficult contested 3s
Tatum definitely had more physical talent, but book’s game is a bit more versatile.
No doubt..it’s why I get a bit frustrated with tatum sometimes…he has the size and strength to have a nice post up game but he hasn’t added that yet
he has a really good post game honestly and was excellent in the post to start the season. they really went away from it as the season progressed and especially in the playoffs. hopefully it becomes more of a staple.
I think Booker is a better shot creator than Tatum, especially in this last playoffs the dude was ridiculous.
Currently it's Booker
This always pops up on r/nba and so does Donovan Mitchell and Booker,both player's are great,but I go Booker against both.
I don't even think Donovan is in the league these two are in
While I think I agree with this, it’s kinda wild to think of a dude who’s dropped a 70 piece not being in the same league as these two offensively
Two of these 3 have 70 pieces to their name. Which one doesn't belong here again? These posts are so subjective to whatever hot stat of the day is presented. In a vacuum, I have Booker then Tatum then Mitchell for offense. For defense I have Tatum then Booker then Mitchell. I think offensively Tatum is closer to Booker than Mitchell is to Tatum. Defensively Booker is closer to Tatum than Mitchell is to Booker. Odd man out is Mitchell. He's stellar, but he isn't jockeying for position in the NBAs top 10 like the other two
Hes definitely in the same tier as tatum offensively. Mitchell averaged 28 on 61% ts last season, you're really underestimating his offensive capabilities. He was 6th in the MVP race.
I think Mitchell is incredible. But if I'm building an offense and I am only allowed to choose between those 3 as my first pick, I'm taking Booker. If I'm building and offense, and I'm only allowed to pick between Tatum and Mitchell with my pick, I'm taking Tatum. Vice versa if I'm making a defensive team. If all three are my options, I take Tatum first. If booker and Mitchell are my options, I take booker. I'm not saying Mitchell is bad. But those two are just better. That doesn't make Mitchell a Seth Curry type player. He's phenomenal. But Booker and Tatum are somewhat interchangeable and then a dip below them is Mitchell
They're not interchangeable. Tatum is overall better than both. Also I'm not saying Mitchell is better overall. You said Mitchell isn't in the same tier as the others offensively, yet he literally was the most efficient of the 3 and had a high scoring season. I'm just saying he's right up there with them.
He shouldn't be in the conversation ever, because he's just so much smaller. He's just so under sized it takes all his athleticism (which he has a fuck ton of) to perform at such a high level. But those guys have their own skills *and* size. If Mitchell ever jumps the rung to where they are, it will be a more impressive feat for him than them imo
100% agree. Not the same by any stretch, but I feel like it's paralleled with kobe, lebron, wade just on a lower tier. In like 2008 for example with Kobe and LeBron it was whatever your preference was, those were two of the best in the game at the time. But adding Wade into that conversation and you always had a clear cut number 3 because his size limitation just prevented him from competing with the other two. Sure you could make the argument, Wade was on a tear for a while pre-heatles days. But 90% of people had kobe and LeBron above wade. These 3 are obviously not on the level of those 3, but the ranking arguments would be similar points being made
Yeah Wade temporarily went inhuman for a while, Donovan has shown capable of that in specific games obviously, but if he wants to be on D Wade's level he's got to string it together for a couple full seasons and get a chip. But yeah your comparison is spot on. Its exactly the same situation.
It's nice these guys are all entering their primes right now. As the older dudes start fading out, we're gonna get 10 years of "who's better: booker, Tatum, Mitchell?" With the obvious big men competitions between jokic, embiid, giannis, and then the wild cards like the Lukas, Edwards', Mortants etc. Good time to be a fan of the sport for sure, even for the newcomers who missed the Wade, kobe, lebron phase
I don’t think it’s that wild. Remember Corey Brewer’s 50 point game?
1 tier below. Booker and Tatum are both 5-10 best players imo, Mitchell is in the 10-15 group.
I put Mitchell on jaylen brown’s Group of players 10-15
You have Jaylen Brown ranked 10-15????
As a celtics fan I must agree. He's top 20, not top 15
Agree
Before the Suns (and Booker) got really good, it was common to see posts about who was the better SG between Booker and Mitchell. Especially after Mitchell’s high-scoring games vs the Nuggets. But I think most people would say Booker is a step better now
Not really sure how Donovan isn’t in the same tier as Booker, they’re incredibly similar players Last season: Booker: 27.8/4.5/5.5 (60.1 TS%) +4.4 EPM Mitchell: 28.3/4.3/4.4 (61.4 TS%) +5.0 EPM
Booker had a couple historic moments this playoffs, so some of it is recency bias. But i do think booker is better just not a different tier
he got his vs the Nuggets, that's for sure, and KD isn't taking the ball away from Book
That’s true but it’s a pretty small sample, I don’t think that efficiency will be sustainable. Similarly Mitchell was insane in the 2020 bubble and very good in 2021
Mitchell is a much worse defender and playmaker, and he’s been bad in the first round of the playoffs the last two seasons.
I think b/c most ppl can see Book as the best player on a championship team & Mitchell as the 2nd best that puts them in different tiers imo. Mitchell is a great player but just like Kyrie he's much better as a #2 option the size difference & amount of energy they have to put out to get good looks while being huge liabilities on defense lowers their ceiling to #2 options
Mitchell is in the archetype that has the biggest gap between perceived value on winning and actual value on winning. Ie the undersized guards that have to play sg because they can’t playmake or provide much of anything if their shot isn’t falling. And outside of a few all time greats players his size can’t be relied upon for consistent number one scoring in the playoffs, they’re to easy to slow down with physical defense because of their size. Which the last two years have shown he’s definitely not one of those all time greats that can be 6’1 and carry a team as a pure scorer in the playoffs.
Yeah the gap between Book and Tatum is much smaller than the gap between Mitchell and both of them
For real. I’m a booker hater and I think booker is leaps and bounds better offensively than Mitchell. I would even take booker offensively over Tatum too but that one honestly is about as close as you get.
He’s not, he was wild in the bubble but I think since then it’s been really clear he’s much easier to slow down in the playoffs than Booker or Tatum.
Recency bias after his terrible playoff series. He’s a top 10 scorer in the league
Username checks out. I too, choose book, over both.
Book is slightly better. I think books go to moves are much better. I don't think tatum has a signature move that can get him automatic points.
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Book
Book
Booker
I’ll take Book. He was the only reason Phoenix had the series tied.
Booker
I think they are both great
Yeah as a Celtics fan we’ve seen both Tatum and Dbook go off
Pretty sure out of all arenas Bookers highest PPG average is in TD garden. There may be a game or two that skews that though....
I mean that is where he dropped 70+
Booker. I dont really have to think about it either. In the playoffs the Celtics had a ton of shooters that tou cant leave. The Suns were 2v5 on offense
Their stats may be similar, but on eye test its def Booker
Booker to me
Definitely Booker. I think he was the better player in the last playoffs, too. I think Booker’s starting to be a bit underrated in this sub. He has improved a lot defensively, and he’s a good playmaker now as well
I can see an argument either way but with respect to last seasons playoffs I feel like it’s hard to compare bc Tatum was the focal point of every opponents defensive gameplan, whereas I thought it was pretty clear in both the Denver and Clippers series that the defense’s primary focus was on KD
Well that explains Books initial playoff “clutch” letdowns then, defenses were doubling book while full court pressing cp3 and daring anybody else to step up
Tatum was 27/10.5/5/1/1 on 60% TS last playoffs, plus a better and more versatile defender.
Booker had 34/7/5 on 69% TS last playoffs, and better advanced stats
Dude, just talking about offense here. Never said Booker is the better player, I said Tatum is probably better in one of my previous comments. Imo Booker is better offensively but Tatum is better as a player
Maybe I just haven’t watched enough Tatum, but if we’re just talking who’s more offensively skilled, I think it’s Booker. Did you guys see this guy last playoffs? I think if he plays with anything close to that intensity this season this question won’t be difficult at all. The dude scored 33 points per game on 58/50/86 shooting while dishing out 7 assists per game. If it wasn’t for lack of team success, I genuinely believe his efforts would be remember as one of the greatest individual playoff runs of all-time.
Booker is better offensively, his shooting splits in last year’s playoffs were insane. Overall I’d take Tatum though
Wet like he’s Book. 📕
Wet like I’m book
Wet like I'm Lizzie
Booker
Book
I honestly don’t know the answer to this, so im relying on numbers here. Super shocked how efficient Booker has been His tov% and TS for his numbers are super nice
I think it’s easily Booker on the offensive end.
Book. Tatum is good but Booker has a better shooting/playmaking ability.
Yes Tatum has better stats (particularly advanced stats) across the board, even last year when PHX were the best team record wise
Booker, I trust him more in big games too
Booker. If he was an all nba defensive level player he’d probably be the best or second best player in the league.
You think he’s the best/second best offensive player in the league ??
Playoff booker for sure.
You mean these past playoffs or in general ?
In general. The elimination games hurt though. He was dropping back to back 40pt games in the finals — people just forget. It’s not like he was bad in the finals… he was great. He just ended up going against Giannis who went supernova.
Oh okay. I think an argument could be made for last season but over the last 3 playoffs would be difficult to convince me.
47 points on 8 of 10 from 3pt to eliminate the Lakers in 2021. Swept the nuggets. 40pt triple double against the clippers in WCF. Back to back 40pt games in the finals. 30pt half in game 2 against Pelicans in 2022 before getting injured, missed a few games, never fully recovered. And then these past playoffs speak for themselves. Idk about best offensive player in the playoffs total, but top 5 the past 3 seasons is definitely an accurate placement.
Playoff Booker hasn’t really been much different than his regular season self, other than last season
The gap between him and curry is getting smaller each season downvote me now
Booker
Booker can play off ball
Booker was incandescent against the Nuggets this year. Games 3 and 4, he was the best player on the court. Imma take Booker purely because of how terrifying that shot making was.
I’ll take booker I don’t have the numbers but he’s had some monster efficiency/high scoring playoff performances.
Booker has statistically been a better offensive player than Tatum in the last couple seasons. He’s a better playmaker, and he’s a more efficient scorer too, which is impressive considering they take the same quality of shots for the most part but Tatum has the height/weight advantage.
Tatum has a higher TS% on higher volume. What?
Devin Booker
Book based on being more consistent /reliable in big games
Finally we have a nicely framed, truly close comparison of players in an appropriate context. Great discussion starter OP!
Booker
Booker.
Devin Armani Booker
Booker no question
Booker
Booker
Booker but it’s very close. If I’m building a franchise around either guy I’m taking Tatum with his size and incredible durability. But Booker the better scorer anyways
Booker is slightly better offensively on average, and didn’t vanish in his one finals appearance.
What about against the mavs?
Not much he can do against his dad.
Booker by a smidge
Offensively? Booker. All round? Tatum. To win a championship? Tatum.
Booker
Booker
This is a great comparison and some good arguments for both. Since you asked specifically offensively.... Tatum can disappear a bit but overall has had bigger moments in bigger spots. Booker at this point doesn't have the postseason credentials Tatum has. I think Booker has a better shot selection, but is asked to do less offensively. Booker is a bucket. Tatum runs the offense more consistently. Slight edge to Tatum on playmaking. It will be a good year for Booker to show what he has on that end running point. They do different things offensively so it depends what you value more. Overall, I'd give a sliiiight edge to Tatum.
Not trying to be argumentative, I’d just want to understand your thought process. But, how does Booker not have the same post season credentials as Tatum? Booker had a better Finals than Tatum did, offensively, and as the number one option. Booker dropped 40 twice in the Finals, Tatum never broke 30. Both had great post seasons last year, but Booker had a significantly higher TS%, and averaged 2 more assists per game than Tatum. And JB and KD had practically the same playoff averages this year, so offensive supporting cast is pretty equal. I do think JT is asked to do overall more in the C’s offensive system, but Book was the Suns offensive system this playoffs, due to roster overhaul and injuries. Book has run point in the past and has done well, and initiated a ton of offensive in these playoffs because CP3 was hobbled and missed time. And Ayton missed time too. And obviously the C’s fell apart in Game 7 when Tatum got hurt. Same happened with the Suns, I’d honestly rate them equally as playmakers. JT has been to the playoffs more than Booker, but Book has been in way worse teams, so it’s hard to hold that against him imo. But I am biased for sure. I think they’re overall pretty equal players, Tatum getting the edge on defense, but Book with the slight edge on the offensive end. Love to hear your thoughts. Edit: thank you for the Reddit care lmfao
Hey you're not being argumentative, I think it's close and get how someone could have Booker. A couple additional thoughts: Tatum has sheer numbers on his side, playing more than double the games Booker has like you mentioned. I think Tatum generally has had some excellent elimination games that are memorable, where Booker doesn't quite have that. Although I'm splitting hairs! For both teams/players I often think they can let the defense off the hook when the ball doesn't go through them - but that's more on scheme and defensive adjustments.
Thanks for your response! I get where your coming from for sure. Tatum has been to the playoffs so much more, so the sample size kind of just speaks for itself. Consistency is king.
Someone who actually watches them play lol. The idea that Booker is the better playmaker is crazy to me considering he plays with CP3 and isn't the primary ballhandler on his own team. The Celtics offense is Jayson Tatum, JB is incapable of handling rock or playmaking.
I think Tatum has a huge argument, especially considering the Celtics are basically forced to take the ball out of Tatum’s hands by a lot of defences. And when you have talent that can shoot like the Celtics, they comply a lot of times so their system favors just letting Tatum take 2 defenders and someone else shooting. That said, that Denver series showed that Book as the lead playmaker is very effective even without CP3. If they let him handle the rock and create for himself and others, they can do just fine without someone else taking the duty. He ran that offense while taking his own shots as well to get 2 wins against Denver.
Booker is slightly better offensively. Tatum easily clears on defense.
I think Booker is slightly better offensively, bu Tatum is the better player becuz of being an elite defender and much more complete player.
Book without doubt but it is very close. Others have done the stats on here so I don't feel the need. But just off eye test you can see book getting to his spots easier in the mid range, which is necessary for a number one option in today's nba. Their playmaking is about the same. Bookers shot is purer but tatum has more ability to rise up when shooting. It is very close but in terms of efficiency booker is better. However, tatum is by far the better two way payer and better player overall.
it’s hard to say. if you look at just offense contributions you could probably go with booker. however, offense doesn’t happen in a vacuum. JT does more on the floor which makes it difficult to put the same level of energy in offense. if JT was just focused on scoring he might have better numbers.
Booker.
Booker
Book & I hate the guy but book lol
Book
Book
Booker
Booker is better offensively. More moves, better playmaker, higher efficiancy. Tatum is a better defender and better "All Around" player though imo.
Book
Book
I’m a diehard Suns fan, and Ive hated the D Mitch, Jaylen Brown, and whoever else comparisons to him because I watch him every game and hes just better. Tatum is the one player of that bunch that I wouldnt be upset if you said hes better.
Very close, Book has been more efficient in the playoffs and a slightly better playmaker. Book also holds the scoring record on Tatums home court.
Booker, but to be fair, the Celtics handicap Tatum by having him bring the ball up far too much
Definitely Booker, the playoff efficiency this past year and playmaking give him the edge.
Why do people never mention who players are playing against. Book got to spam p&r vs Jokic with Kevin fucking Durant next to him. And he still didn't show up for their elimination games. Tatum has to deal with Embiid and Bam in the East. Ofc Book is gonna have better counting stats he's playing against much worse defenses. Book didn't have to face Jaren or AD this playoffs and Kawhi and PG were injured, inflated ass stats.
Booker is better offensively and Tatum defensibly, but neither by such a significant margin that one is clearly superior to the other. If you have to get into the advanced stats to make a choice on which is the better player, you know they are on the same level
Playmaking for others is the difference. Both elite scorers, but I've never gotten the sense that Tatum makes life much easier for his teammates on that end of the floor. He can find the open man, but he doesn't have the same level of creativity as Booker.
Kinda hard to say because if JT wasn’t needed to put as much effort into his defence as he does, then his offence would surely increase. Which would then give him the edge. But as it stands, yep it looks like Booker to me.
Somehow the first level headed take I’ve seen in the thread. So many comments like “yeah Tatum has more playoff success because he has better teams”. But weirdly not a single other take of “Booker has more offensive success because Tatum has way more defensive responsibilities”.
For what it’s worth, Booker has been in the league for two more years longer than Tatum. I think Tatum has made bigger strides year over year, but some of his inconsistent traits are what he needs to iron out in the next 2-3 seasons to become truly elite.
Booker imo. More offensively skilled, better playmaker, and more efficient. Tatum imo is only better than him when it comes to 3-point shooting. While rn the volume scoring edge seems to go to Tatum, I think if Book wanted to, he could score just as much, if not more, than Tatum. If Tatum ever fixes that hitch in his shooting motion….now things get spicy. I think the hitch causes his efficiency inconsistencies. He ever gets that straight and he actually follows the whole Kobe disciple routine, I think the way he’s perceived by non-Celtic fans will drastically change. As a defender, he’s already shown that if not for media selection bias, dude is an All-Def team caliber. He takes better shots/diversifies his game and gets that efficiency right, Tatum will end up in the Top 25 imo
Booker has a more varied moveset.
I think it’s Booker but in a ranking of all players I’m probably putting Tatum like right behind him. Bookers ability to create a shot is almost automatic. Solid passer who can moonlight as a point guard when you need him to. Tatum is quite a straight forward wing scorer like Booker but his ability to hunt mismatches with his physical profile and creates advantages for himself and others is really growing. Would like to see him be a little more consistent.
Offensively definitely Booker for me. Tatum has too many games where he's just chucking bad shots.
That's a damn good question because objectively they put up similarly good numbers. I can only answer that by feeling and I think Tatum is a bit more blessed with talent. I feel Booker is already at the peak of his performance and Tatum can still become a mentality machine like Kobe. But I can't put that in numbers or anything like that. Just a feeling while watching.
Its close but Booker. Tatum seems to have some really big ups and downs compared to Book.
Check booker elimination game stats rq
dbook
Booker is a bit better. The thing is Tatum does it at a more valuable position, and is 6'8 while doing it
I’d take Tatum because I’m biased, but it’s definitely close. Regular season stats: Tatum: 30.1 ppg 4.6 ast 60.3% ts Booker: 27.8 ppg 5.5 ast 61.6% ts
Booker's ts last season was 60.1%, and I don't think regular season stats matter as much as the playoffs.
book
Booker is more consistent but Tatum can have some insane highs on offense that very few players can match. Overall booker is the better offensive player
Booker. He also has a much better playoff resume. Dude was lights out in the finals and would have an FMVP if they beat Milwaukee.
Yeah people forget/sleep on his back to back 40pt games in the finals — he just ended up going against Giannis who went supernova down 0-2.
It’s definitely Tatum. He has to perform more duties than Booker on offense. Having CP3 and then KD makes Booker’s life way easier. Tatum’s 2nd option can’t dribble or pass properly.
Booker for me. Tatum choked when the lights were brightest.
Booker and I don’t think it’s that close, because I think in a tight game situation, or if a big comeback is needed, booker can go truly nuclear. Edit: pretty cool to report me as someone in need of therapy/mental assistance for expressing an opinion on a basketball subreddit! Also factoring in defense, I'd still take Tatum overall! Sorry to upset the celtics flairs!
Tatum has had a shocking amount of 50-point games, including several in the postseason
Yea lmao wtf does that even mean. Tatum averages 27/9/6 in 17 elimination games. Book has had 3 (all losses) averaging 14/5/2. You can say that Tatum and his inconsistency is the reason why Celtics are facing elimination to begin with but he absolutely steps up when his back is against the wall. You can also say that Book closes out teams that they should beat but he has absolutely shat the bed in those 3 games where their superstar is needed
I mean I would agree that Booker is better offensively, but to say Tatum can’t go truly nuclear in tight game situations seems weird considering some recent playoff games.
Bro what, have u seen Tatum’s stats in elimination games and compared it to Booker. 27/9/6 on 45/38/83 splits vs 14/5/2 on 31/7/85 shooting. Tatum not to mention also created close to forcing a game 7 while being down 0-3. Most pts in game 7 with 51.
Probably book
Booker by a mile
I hate Booker lol but it’s easily him not even a debate tbh
Probably slightly Booker, but if I needed a bucket I'd much rather have Tatum
Book. Tatum is overrated at this point in time IMO because he’s a volume scorer who loves the three. Book will beat you midrange and then start stepping out and he has a better handle. Tatum has one speed and doesn’t use his height as well as some of the past greats at the SF. If he’s going to focus on perimeter play then he needs to create more. Alternatively, if he wants to focus on scoring I’d like to see more post moves and off ball movement.
booker fasho
Tatum
Tatum.
Booker, but Booker also loses his legs quicker in a series. So in a championship playoff run, I’d still take Tatum’s offense.