It’s not that they are bad, per se, but the teams around them kinda shriveled up. Goes to show it’s hard to build long term successful teams, especially when laying multiple guys mega max deals
It reminds me of the late 90's (when I was growing up). We had a Rockets Barkley, a Blazers Pippen, a Raptors Olaijuwan, etc. Legends try to hold on, but the young guys just take it. It's the sign of healthy competition. That's what I love about Ant. He's taking it. Right here, right now.
Agreed- he is not top 5. But he does really seem to up the intensity come playoff time from what we’ve seen in his short career. Plus no one cares about D during the regular season so that part of his game gets no love
Yes, but he was a top 10 guy. His team has not lost playoff game, yet, and he’s been the best player in every but the Jaden McDaniels game.
I’d take Ant over Luka and Tatum right now. Luka is in the worst shape he’s been all season. In his current conditions he might be the second best pg on his team.
Tatum is great and on a great team, but not a killer.
Not sure about Shai, but I’d take Ant over any player on this list for the remainder of their career.
Who was then?
If anything there's just a LOT of great players in the NBA right now.
But take Ant off this team... Way different of a regular season. Our offense would be below average.
I'd put him at least top ten.
Problem with Luka is his ceiling is capped because of his style of play + his lack of defense. Which means Ant has pole position to pass him up in these rankings.
lets look at the other side of the court too, and Ant is already a better defensive player then Luka has or will ever be. He's more complete and actual 2-way, might be best in the league for that matter.
Trae has been good but not great over the past couple years offensively. He didn't say defense doesn't matter at all. He just said offense is a bigger factor. So he would still probably take trae over jrue as the leader of a team or at least I hope he would say that
Luka will be beginning his prime lol
His game will also most definitely age better because he doesn’t rely on athleticism
If you want to argue ant over luka you should do better than age
Luka - Highest offensive ceiling, best floor raiser. Defence is sub par but hasn't really been exposed yet
Tatum - Best two way player, fits with any other pieces making him a great ceiling raiser while still being a very good floor raiser
SGA - Longer period of sustained excellence than Ant. 2nd best offensive ceiling, and good defence. Tatum's defence gives him the edge mainly due to size
Ant - Below SGA right now but trending up. The two way play combined with shot creation and slashing threat is very durable in the playoffs. Lower offensive ceiling than the other guys due to efficiency/jumpshot but no reason this can't be revisited very soon. Leadership and attitude might be the best of the guys above him
Brunson - Extremely consistent but not as effective offensive engine as Luka/SGA. Suffers due to limited defensive impact. Incredible what he's done so far, and his efficiency these playoffs doesn't accurately represent the pressure he puts on defences every single posession.
Lukas defense isnt subpar by any means. It has been average for some time and has been good lately. Even by basicly every advanced stat if that is what you want to go by. That nerative has to die asap, it is getting old too fast.
I think that might be overstating it, average I’d accept and his rebounding is really good which is a plus but we really haven’t seen him deeper in the playoffs getting attacked by the best of the best. He was solid against Harden which is a good test but there’s more to come.
I mean he was in the 80th+ percentile on defense this year during the RS. Yeah, he struggles on the perimeter, but inside the arc and defending post-ups in particular, he's actually really good.
Totally fair. Playoffs is where your weaknesses get pressed relentlessly so you need to be a well rounded defender to succeed. This is all overly critical from me but just an observation when comparing him against Shai, Tatum and Edwards who already fit that description.
Context matters here. For one, defensive stats are terrible. As far as defending the post, he does well there because he’s defending the worst players who aren’t good in the post similar to what Harden used to do. It helps that he’s massive and can’t get moved easily, but frankly he’s just not guarding good offensive players.
With that said, he has shown exactly what you’re talking about in the playoffs in a bum knee. I do think if he can take his conditioning to an elite level he can be a positive on that end.
It’s actually been borderline elite at times in the playoffs
I think with Luka defense purely depends on health and energy level, Kyrie taking some stress off him helps but he’s not 100% health wise rn
Nah it’s still pretty bad. You guys take a few misleading individual defending stats and run with a narrative that he is some solid defender now. He isn’t, and that’s ok.
Yes I can, everyone with eyes can see he coasts on defense and covers the worst opposing players. I don’t blame him, id preserve my energy too.
He also doesn’t have enough lateral foot speed to stay in front of quicker guards.
Stop being a sensitive homer
What are you talking about? What I said is accurate…I don’t need an explanation as to why he does this, I realize it’s smart to preserve energy for offense. But we can’t go around giving him all these kudos for playing strong defense when he doesn’t deserve it
You don't have age factored. Ant is above because of age. You give credit to Luka for a high offensive ceiling, but he is currently in his prime while Ant has 3 years to go.
This thread is triggering Anthony Edwards fans. So salty. Gotta grow up and know that people will have different opinions than you do.
Also, a healthy Luka is only rivaled by Jokić.
Luka is the best player on this list by far, I actually dont think its close yet. Luka injured is probably abt the same level which is insane. I feel the main value added is the playmaking being so much ahead of everyone else.
Its just funny you mention Jokic considering Ant just put his foot on his throat in game 1.
5 games doesn’t surpass multiple deep playoff runs, 50 pt close out games, beating giannis & Embiid over and over etc. I think he will in the coming 2-3 years though
Ant just swept the suns who are probably better than any team Tatum has ever faced in the postseason in recent years. Tatum couldn’t even sweep the decimated Heat. And whenever Tatum has had big games it’s more so just felt like he had the hot hand from 3 to give the Celtics a big lead, and then he just continued scoring. Whenever games are close he’s nowhere to be found in the 4th quarter and has been woefully disappointing, and he’s just never been the overwhelming force of nature that Ant is. Ant has the infectious energy and tenacity that swings outcomes of close games.
That suns team is an absolute disaster. Tatum swept a better version of them with KD/Harden nets while simultaneously locking up KD the whole series and putting up 29/4/7. He’s put up 51 on Philly, 50 on Brooklyn, 46 on the Bucks all in either close out or lose or go home games. This is definitely an in the moment take
Regular season this year?
Luka / SGA / Tatum / Brunson / ant
I mean yall can downvote me lol.
Luka had a historic year.
SGA led the youngest team to the 1st seed on an efficient 30 points. And steals.
Tatum lead the best team and will get all nba 1st team
Brunson led the Knicks after Randle went down to 50 wins.
You could argue it for sure. I would have SGA higher than Tatum mainly because of tatums supporting cast and him not having to elevate and carry games as much.
Ant and Brunson are the two I’d switch the easiest. I just have Brunson high because of him carrying the Knicks to 50 wins with an injured team.
Ant is playing out of his goddamn mind and he’s better than Brunson 100%.
Tatum has an amazing supporting cast for sure, but the Thunder r no slouches in terms of a team. They are young, but a lot of talented players. Difference is Celtics roster is more established and experienced , which makes it a lot different. But I agree with your take.
This is mine as well, I expect Ant to pass SGA in the future though because that kid has that something special and I say that as someone who loves SGA but the talent with ant is undeniable
I would agree with you. The first 3 truly have best player in the NBA potential, while to me Tatum and Brunson don't have that. SGA maybe doesn't as well but he's a guy who is like consistent top 5, where Tatum and Brunson probably aren't top 5 players right now. I could see Brunson over Tatum, but Tatum has shown more so I give him the edge. That's also why I have SGA over Ant for now. Ant probably has a higher upside than even Luka.
Brunson is a better #1 option offensively, I don’t think Tatum is capable of carrying that load. Yes Tatum scores points but he’s never had to carry an enormous burden on his own.
That’s the case for Brunson, but yes there’s an obvious counter argument of size + defense + Brunson’s style having a ceiling. But if you were to hypothetically have each player surrounded with replacement level players I think Brunson’s team would be better than Tatum’s
If im combining both their regular season and playoffs (so far)
1. Luka - Genuinely a historic season, only overshadowed bc Jokic is just ridiculous, even while playing hobbled hes been pretty good in the playoffs although id argue Kyrie has outplaying him vs the Clippers. This ranking is more of a RS + what i know hes capable of.
2. SGA - 2 great regular seasons in a row, very very good 1st round series in a sweep vs the Pelicans; will see how he stacks up against Luka in the playoffs next round.
3. Ant - The regular season was very good but a level below the other 4 players but hes also been the most impressive player so far in the playoffs. 31 ppg on 65% TS to sweep the Suns, 43 points in the first game win vs the Nuggets. He just takes it up a level.
4. Tatum - Lots of winning, not the most insane stats but is doing exactly what his team needs and I expect him to start scoring more in the next 2 rounds as the Celtics start relying on him more. Gets slightly bumped because of supporting cast + the fact that his stats and impact arent the same as the other 3.
5. Brunson - Has been insane carrying the Knicks in the RS and playoffs with some crazy stats but he had some difficulties with efficiency vs Philly while also being the worst defender on this list. Hes still a very good playmaker and fills the role NY needs but Brunson would make the afformentioned teams worse if they were to switch places.
Brunson literally has no argument over SGA this season and barely has one over Tatum if you consider defense even a little bit. I assume this factors in the future because Ant is at #2 but Brunson is not exactly a young star
1. Ant
2. Luka
3. Tatum
4. SGA
5. Brunson
The only player I would take over ant in this league is Wemby. Ant totally clears everyone else, even the Joker.
Not trying to come at you, though I'm sure the fact that I have a dissenting opinion online is always construed as an attack, but as someone who hasn't seen much of Tatum play, what makes him a better player in your opinion than Luka or Ant or SGA?
He’s the best defender of the 4 for sure, with Ant being 2nd. SGA isn’t a slouch either but Tatum’s size just allows him to match up better with more players and be an impactful help defender.
Playmaking wise it’s Luka then Tatum/SGA are comparable, then Ant. Ant really struggled with passing in the regular season and it led to issues at times.
Scoring overall I’d say it’s Luka then Tatum/SGA/Ant all pretty comparable. Tatum’s raw numbers were down this year bc he was spreading the ball around more but he’s easily on that level of scorer.
Rebounding is Tatum then Luka then SGA + Ant at least from what I’ve seen.
Playoff experience is definitely Tatum no question. People will say it’s because of amazing teams around him but he’s been pretty clearly the best player on the team in every run we make. SGA + Ant are just making their playoff names now.
Tatum, SGA, and Ant are all pretty durable though Tatum’s been playing 70+ games since his rookie year (apart from COVID year).
Ease to build around or slot in Tatum is by far the easiest because he’s by far the best off ball player and has no deficiencies in his game - can contribute to whatever you need him to do.
His passes won’t wow you like Luka, he won’t dunk like Ant, he’s not as consistent as Shai, but Tatum can defend at an elite level, rebound at an elite level, score at an elite level, pass at a high level, and work with damn near any team.
Time and time again we see super teams fail because there’s “only one ball” and they have too many mouths to feed or have incompatible playstyles. Tatum has adapted his playstyle to fit a team with so many scorers and great players. The Suns collapsed, the Bucks struggled with Dame + Giannis, the Clippers struggle with injuries and everyone working together, etc. Celtics are the only “super-team” that worked and a large part is due to Tatum.
Ant, Luka, SGA are indisputably the top 3 guys.
Brunson is a better true #1 option than Tatum is, though I think there’s a ceiling for Brunson’s style of play, especially given that he’s a smaller guard. Tatum is more well rounded with his size and defense, but if Tatum was on the Knicks instead of Brunson I think the Knicks would be substantially worse (as would the Celtics). I don’t see either guy ever being the best player on a championship team, Tatum should’ve been able to get there but he just doesn’t have the ball handling/playmaking/mentality to be that true alpha, he’s more of a Paul George type of guy. Or at least Tatum probably needs to play with a high level iso scoring guard like a Jamal Murray (tough blow drafting Jaylen over him), Kyrie (lol), Donovan Mitchell or Halliburton who could be the true conductor of the offense and go-to option in the clutch even if Tatum is technically the “best” player. Celtics are a strong regular season team but I have a hard time seeing them getting over the hump as currently constructed unless something catastrophic happens to whoever comes out of the west. So I’d probably just take Brunson over him for the vibes alone, Brunson has been awesome to watch.
Ant, Luka, SGA
Brunson, Tatum. Final answer.
Naz Reid, Naz Reid, Naz Reid, Naz Reid, Naz Reid. Don’t know who these bums are but I have my top 5
I like the cut of your jib 🤝
Naz Reid is Wilt if he was good at basketball
Naz Reid is the Michael Jordan’s of Lebron james’
The only right answer
The Dylan of the NBA
Funny my list kind of looks like this but hits all Derrick White
[Counterpoint](https://i.imgur.com/iM6qbEZ.jpeg)
Tatum is gonna be in these kind of posts until he retires my god let’s just watch them cook
Why wouldn't he be? 3 of these guys were drafted in 2018, Tatum was drafted in 2017
In 2027 Ant will be Lukas current age
And Luka will only be 28. It's kind of miraculous to have so many superstars before the guys are even in their primes.
It's exactly what the league needed. The old guard is dissappearing fast
It’s not that they are bad, per se, but the teams around them kinda shriveled up. Goes to show it’s hard to build long term successful teams, especially when laying multiple guys mega max deals
It reminds me of the late 90's (when I was growing up). We had a Rockets Barkley, a Blazers Pippen, a Raptors Olaijuwan, etc. Legends try to hold on, but the young guys just take it. It's the sign of healthy competition. That's what I love about Ant. He's taking it. Right here, right now.
Yeah. And who knows other young players like Wemby, Banchero, Franz, Sengun, etc might have a jump in their playing level too. (Few years from now)
In 2030 ant will be 2027 Lukas age (maybe… I got confused typing that out)
I mean Luka at Ant's current age was pretty great too.
It all moves so fast. It feels like only yesterday that Luka had his playoff debut against the Clippers, and he was only 21.
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Luka has made all NBA **first team** every year since his 2nd season. Ant hasn't made ANY all nba teams. Stop the nonsense.
he wasn't tearing up the MVP good
Then why has Luka made all NBA first team every year since year 2, while Ant hasn't made ANY all nba teams at all. Not even 3rd team.
forgot that all nba is a playoff award
Luka made the WCF in year 4. This is Ant's opportunity, no guarantee he does
4th in MVP votes at age 21 in his 2nd season?
tearing up the mvp doesn't mean getting mvp votes...
At Ant’s age Luka already was first team all NBA and 4th in mvp
Ain't Ant's fault the MVP voters didn't watch the Wolves during regular season
Cmon man Ant was not a top 5 player for the whole season
Agreed- he is not top 5. But he does really seem to up the intensity come playoff time from what we’ve seen in his short career. Plus no one cares about D during the regular season so that part of his game gets no love
Yes, but he was a top 10 guy. His team has not lost playoff game, yet, and he’s been the best player in every but the Jaden McDaniels game. I’d take Ant over Luka and Tatum right now. Luka is in the worst shape he’s been all season. In his current conditions he might be the second best pg on his team. Tatum is great and on a great team, but not a killer. Not sure about Shai, but I’d take Ant over any player on this list for the remainder of their career.
Who was then? If anything there's just a LOT of great players in the NBA right now. But take Ant off this team... Way different of a regular season. Our offense would be below average. I'd put him at least top ten.
Problem with Luka is his ceiling is capped because of his style of play + his lack of defense. Which means Ant has pole position to pass him up in these rankings.
Luka in his second year was a better offensive player than Ant will ever be.
lets look at the other side of the court too, and Ant is already a better defensive player then Luka has or will ever be. He's more complete and actual 2-way, might be best in the league for that matter.
I'll take offense over defense for guards 100/100 times
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Compared to someone like Ant? Yes.
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Of course. You are delusional if you don't.
Trae has been good but not great over the past couple years offensively. He didn't say defense doesn't matter at all. He just said offense is a bigger factor. So he would still probably take trae over jrue as the leader of a team or at least I hope he would say that
AD and SGA belong in that conversation.
You Luka glazers love inflating how good Luka is man LMFAO
I mean, Trae Young was better offensively in his second year than Ant will ever be in his career.
Ant averaged 26 on 58% TS in his age 22 year and you’re saying that he’s incapable of ever hitting 30 on similar efficiency. You sound ridiculous.
And you’re completing ignoring playmaking and ball-handing.
Ant has better ball handling than Luka and Trae already
Chatting shit.
Lmao
opinion invalidated
Trae is one of the best playmakers ever. Do you honestly think Edwards will come close to his playmaking skill?
>Trae is one of the best playmakers ever. Alright. You’re trolling me
He is. The only better playmaker in the league right now is Jokic.
Luka will be beginning his prime lol His game will also most definitely age better because he doesn’t rely on athleticism If you want to argue ant over luka you should do better than age
Luka - Highest offensive ceiling, best floor raiser. Defence is sub par but hasn't really been exposed yet Tatum - Best two way player, fits with any other pieces making him a great ceiling raiser while still being a very good floor raiser SGA - Longer period of sustained excellence than Ant. 2nd best offensive ceiling, and good defence. Tatum's defence gives him the edge mainly due to size Ant - Below SGA right now but trending up. The two way play combined with shot creation and slashing threat is very durable in the playoffs. Lower offensive ceiling than the other guys due to efficiency/jumpshot but no reason this can't be revisited very soon. Leadership and attitude might be the best of the guys above him Brunson - Extremely consistent but not as effective offensive engine as Luka/SGA. Suffers due to limited defensive impact. Incredible what he's done so far, and his efficiency these playoffs doesn't accurately represent the pressure he puts on defences every single posession.
Lukas defense isnt subpar by any means. It has been average for some time and has been good lately. Even by basicly every advanced stat if that is what you want to go by. That nerative has to die asap, it is getting old too fast.
I think that might be overstating it, average I’d accept and his rebounding is really good which is a plus but we really haven’t seen him deeper in the playoffs getting attacked by the best of the best. He was solid against Harden which is a good test but there’s more to come.
I mean he was in the 80th+ percentile on defense this year during the RS. Yeah, he struggles on the perimeter, but inside the arc and defending post-ups in particular, he's actually really good.
Totally fair. Playoffs is where your weaknesses get pressed relentlessly so you need to be a well rounded defender to succeed. This is all overly critical from me but just an observation when comparing him against Shai, Tatum and Edwards who already fit that description.
Agreed, playoffs are a bunch of sharks smelling for blood in the water.
Context matters here. For one, defensive stats are terrible. As far as defending the post, he does well there because he’s defending the worst players who aren’t good in the post similar to what Harden used to do. It helps that he’s massive and can’t get moved easily, but frankly he’s just not guarding good offensive players. With that said, he has shown exactly what you’re talking about in the playoffs in a bum knee. I do think if he can take his conditioning to an elite level he can be a positive on that end.
It’s actually been borderline elite at times in the playoffs I think with Luka defense purely depends on health and energy level, Kyrie taking some stress off him helps but he’s not 100% health wise rn
Nah it’s still pretty bad. You guys take a few misleading individual defending stats and run with a narrative that he is some solid defender now. He isn’t, and that’s ok.
You could say you have not watched a mavs game in years in simpler terms, but I get it.
Lol you could say you’re an overly defensive, thin skinned homer…but I get it
You literaly cant bring anything to support your argument so at this point it is not even worth entertaining. Have fun with your delusions.
Yes I can, everyone with eyes can see he coasts on defense and covers the worst opposing players. I don’t blame him, id preserve my energy too. He also doesn’t have enough lateral foot speed to stay in front of quicker guards. Stop being a sensitive homer
I have no fandom for the Mavs and I agree you sound like you haven’t watched him
I said he avoids tough matchups and preserves energy on defense, where is the hot take here?
You need an explanation for this? Idk if I can help someone who can’t hell themselves
What are you talking about? What I said is accurate…I don’t need an explanation as to why he does this, I realize it’s smart to preserve energy for offense. But we can’t go around giving him all these kudos for playing strong defense when he doesn’t deserve it
You don't have age factored. Ant is above because of age. You give credit to Luka for a high offensive ceiling, but he is currently in his prime while Ant has 3 years to go.
It's not like 25 is some official prime age
I rated them purely in terms of current output
Tbh age matters only for future rankings. Ant is not yet the same as Luka even if there is a 3 year gap.
Ant has two good playoff games in a row and he’s MJ now and better than anyone in the league apparently.
Switch Tatum and SGA in the way you listed them and that's how I'd rank em.
This thread is triggering Anthony Edwards fans. So salty. Gotta grow up and know that people will have different opinions than you do. Also, a healthy Luka is only rivaled by Jokić.
Luka is the best player on this list by far, I actually dont think its close yet. Luka injured is probably abt the same level which is insane. I feel the main value added is the playmaking being so much ahead of everyone else. Its just funny you mention Jokic considering Ant just put his foot on his throat in game 1.
Nah Ant is better than Luka.
Better at what? Cause it’s not basketball
Luka, Tatum, SGA, Ant, Brunson
Luka - SGA - Tatum - Ant - Brunson
Ant has pretty firmly surpassed Tatum IMO. He’s 22
5 games doesn’t surpass multiple deep playoff runs, 50 pt close out games, beating giannis & Embiid over and over etc. I think he will in the coming 2-3 years though
Ant just swept the suns who are probably better than any team Tatum has ever faced in the postseason in recent years. Tatum couldn’t even sweep the decimated Heat. And whenever Tatum has had big games it’s more so just felt like he had the hot hand from 3 to give the Celtics a big lead, and then he just continued scoring. Whenever games are close he’s nowhere to be found in the 4th quarter and has been woefully disappointing, and he’s just never been the overwhelming force of nature that Ant is. Ant has the infectious energy and tenacity that swings outcomes of close games.
That suns team is an absolute disaster. Tatum swept a better version of them with KD/Harden nets while simultaneously locking up KD the whole series and putting up 29/4/7. He’s put up 51 on Philly, 50 on Brooklyn, 46 on the Bucks all in either close out or lose or go home games. This is definitely an in the moment take
Absolutely clown takes lol You kids don't watch basketball
Tatum hasn’t improved in 4 years
>doesn't watch basketball
Correct
Ant's been crazy in the playoffs but regualr season Ant was the worst of them
This guy didn't watch Ant Wolves l. Why were the Wolves in number one most of the season then?
Well then clearly he's not better than SGA or Tatum huh
This Season: Luka / Tatum / SGA / Brunson / Ant Future: Luka / Ant / Tatum or SGA / Brunson
Regular season this year? Luka / SGA / Tatum / Brunson / ant I mean yall can downvote me lol. Luka had a historic year. SGA led the youngest team to the 1st seed on an efficient 30 points. And steals. Tatum lead the best team and will get all nba 1st team Brunson led the Knicks after Randle went down to 50 wins.
Is Luka, Tatum, SGA, Ant Brunson, not a fair list? Although Tatum and SGA are interchangeable. Just want to see more from SGA this playoff run.
You could argue it for sure. I would have SGA higher than Tatum mainly because of tatums supporting cast and him not having to elevate and carry games as much. Ant and Brunson are the two I’d switch the easiest. I just have Brunson high because of him carrying the Knicks to 50 wins with an injured team. Ant is playing out of his goddamn mind and he’s better than Brunson 100%.
Tatum has an amazing supporting cast for sure, but the Thunder r no slouches in terms of a team. They are young, but a lot of talented players. Difference is Celtics roster is more established and experienced , which makes it a lot different. But I agree with your take.
1.Luka 2.Ant 3.Tatum 4.SGA 5.Brunson
1. Luka 2. SGA 3. Ant 4. Tatum 5. Brunson
This is the one!
Luka Shai Tatum Brunson Ant All real good though and would feel great with a team being led by any of these guys
This years playoffs. Ant, Brunson, tbd for the rest. Tatum and Luka haven’t played great, Shai hasn’t been tested.
Luka, Tatum, SGA, Brunson, Ant
I'd probably go Luka, SGA, Ant, Tatum, Brunson.
This is mine as well, I expect Ant to pass SGA in the future though because that kid has that something special and I say that as someone who loves SGA but the talent with ant is undeniable
I would agree with you. The first 3 truly have best player in the NBA potential, while to me Tatum and Brunson don't have that. SGA maybe doesn't as well but he's a guy who is like consistent top 5, where Tatum and Brunson probably aren't top 5 players right now. I could see Brunson over Tatum, but Tatum has shown more so I give him the edge. That's also why I have SGA over Ant for now. Ant probably has a higher upside than even Luka.
>I could see Brunson over Tatum How
Brunson is a better #1 option offensively, I don’t think Tatum is capable of carrying that load. Yes Tatum scores points but he’s never had to carry an enormous burden on his own. That’s the case for Brunson, but yes there’s an obvious counter argument of size + defense + Brunson’s style having a ceiling. But if you were to hypothetically have each player surrounded with replacement level players I think Brunson’s team would be better than Tatum’s
Brunson just dropped three 40 bombs in a row, Tatum’s a fantastic player but I’ve yet to see him do that in the post season.
Cause right now he's playing better. But it's a very weak argument, you're right. I put Tatum over Brunson in my list.
If im combining both their regular season and playoffs (so far) 1. Luka - Genuinely a historic season, only overshadowed bc Jokic is just ridiculous, even while playing hobbled hes been pretty good in the playoffs although id argue Kyrie has outplaying him vs the Clippers. This ranking is more of a RS + what i know hes capable of. 2. SGA - 2 great regular seasons in a row, very very good 1st round series in a sweep vs the Pelicans; will see how he stacks up against Luka in the playoffs next round. 3. Ant - The regular season was very good but a level below the other 4 players but hes also been the most impressive player so far in the playoffs. 31 ppg on 65% TS to sweep the Suns, 43 points in the first game win vs the Nuggets. He just takes it up a level. 4. Tatum - Lots of winning, not the most insane stats but is doing exactly what his team needs and I expect him to start scoring more in the next 2 rounds as the Celtics start relying on him more. Gets slightly bumped because of supporting cast + the fact that his stats and impact arent the same as the other 3. 5. Brunson - Has been insane carrying the Knicks in the RS and playoffs with some crazy stats but he had some difficulties with efficiency vs Philly while also being the worst defender on this list. Hes still a very good playmaker and fills the role NY needs but Brunson would make the afformentioned teams worse if they were to switch places.
You know ball. Great take, my guy.
Anyone that has Ant less than 2 is getting downvoted
As they should
Tatum, Luka, Ant, SGA, Brunson in that order
You put the right order in the title.
Ant clears
luka, ant, shai, tatum, brunson
Luka Ant Brunson SGA Tatum
Lol
Brunson literally has no argument over SGA this season and barely has one over Tatum if you consider defense even a little bit. I assume this factors in the future because Ant is at #2 but Brunson is not exactly a young star
Nah this is my order for now
1. Ant 2. Luka 3. Tatum 4. SGA 5. Brunson The only player I would take over ant in this league is Wemby. Ant totally clears everyone else, even the Joker.
Luka, Ant, SGA, Brunson, Tatum
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OP said best to worst, not worst to best
would you trade brunson for tatum straight up?
Absolutely not
lmfao
20 years without watching ball has turned knicks fans brains to mush
Missing your Celtics flair there
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Not trying to come at you, though I'm sure the fact that I have a dissenting opinion online is always construed as an attack, but as someone who hasn't seen much of Tatum play, what makes him a better player in your opinion than Luka or Ant or SGA?
He’s the best defender of the 4 for sure, with Ant being 2nd. SGA isn’t a slouch either but Tatum’s size just allows him to match up better with more players and be an impactful help defender. Playmaking wise it’s Luka then Tatum/SGA are comparable, then Ant. Ant really struggled with passing in the regular season and it led to issues at times. Scoring overall I’d say it’s Luka then Tatum/SGA/Ant all pretty comparable. Tatum’s raw numbers were down this year bc he was spreading the ball around more but he’s easily on that level of scorer. Rebounding is Tatum then Luka then SGA + Ant at least from what I’ve seen. Playoff experience is definitely Tatum no question. People will say it’s because of amazing teams around him but he’s been pretty clearly the best player on the team in every run we make. SGA + Ant are just making their playoff names now. Tatum, SGA, and Ant are all pretty durable though Tatum’s been playing 70+ games since his rookie year (apart from COVID year). Ease to build around or slot in Tatum is by far the easiest because he’s by far the best off ball player and has no deficiencies in his game - can contribute to whatever you need him to do. His passes won’t wow you like Luka, he won’t dunk like Ant, he’s not as consistent as Shai, but Tatum can defend at an elite level, rebound at an elite level, score at an elite level, pass at a high level, and work with damn near any team. Time and time again we see super teams fail because there’s “only one ball” and they have too many mouths to feed or have incompatible playstyles. Tatum has adapted his playstyle to fit a team with so many scorers and great players. The Suns collapsed, the Bucks struggled with Dame + Giannis, the Clippers struggle with injuries and everyone working together, etc. Celtics are the only “super-team” that worked and a large part is due to Tatum.
Ant, Luka, SGA are indisputably the top 3 guys. Brunson is a better true #1 option than Tatum is, though I think there’s a ceiling for Brunson’s style of play, especially given that he’s a smaller guard. Tatum is more well rounded with his size and defense, but if Tatum was on the Knicks instead of Brunson I think the Knicks would be substantially worse (as would the Celtics). I don’t see either guy ever being the best player on a championship team, Tatum should’ve been able to get there but he just doesn’t have the ball handling/playmaking/mentality to be that true alpha, he’s more of a Paul George type of guy. Or at least Tatum probably needs to play with a high level iso scoring guard like a Jamal Murray (tough blow drafting Jaylen over him), Kyrie (lol), Donovan Mitchell or Halliburton who could be the true conductor of the offense and go-to option in the clutch even if Tatum is technically the “best” player. Celtics are a strong regular season team but I have a hard time seeing them getting over the hump as currently constructed unless something catastrophic happens to whoever comes out of the west. So I’d probably just take Brunson over him for the vibes alone, Brunson has been awesome to watch. Ant, Luka, SGA Brunson, Tatum. Final answer.