Luka hate aside, picking Zion/Tatum over him is silly. Yeah Doncic will never have Zion's athleticism, but Zion will never be able to just 'learn' what Luka can do either.
After seeing how extremely inward Zion's knees naturally bend, I'll be surprised if his career lasts two years. Maybe three. It's going to be like a Nascar wreck someday.
Luka has it All (Monta pun) but one cannot predict the future. Tatum has unpacked insane scoring...... a Harden vs defensive Kevin Durant dude It's at least a healthy rivalry to say the least. I do not see Luka reaching Harden's scoring levels of 38-39 ppg at times though, Carlisle is not about all Offense. Zion would be a nice surprise. There are other ways to dominate than having skills.
Tatum isn’t better than trae young or Zion. He’s a very good player but when you talk about generational talents trae young in my opinion is the best player we have seen of this generation and really doesn’t get much credit because he’s on a bad team. Luka is very very good but there is a lot of holes in his game and I’m not convinced and put him second. Zion could wind up being this generations best when it’s all said and done. He is special.
That's why I made two rankings. One for potential. With Tatum it's a hunch, he isn't the most spectacular or most skilled. I feel he will get better. Tmac wasn't great until he made that leap with Orlando. It is that sudden explosion in stats that is interesting.
he could be up there. Westbrook like quickness. I need to see more of him but I like his game and he is indeed a great talent in this generation.
And Who does Luka make better? Who does he defend? Have you checked his 3 pt %? I have no problem with your opinion or those who suppprt Luka but facts are facts. You can’t say something that is not true as your supporting statements or rationale.
Different positions. Zion doesn’t need to dish out 9 assists since he’s not a point guard which Luka plays for Dallas. A lot in this forum support luka and seem to agree that “you can build a team around him” or that he’s leaps and bounds ahead of all the other young stars but has anyone looked at how he’s played against some of the best teams in the league? It’s not great I’ll tell you that for someone who is supposed to be the guy on his team. What about when he’s pressured? Also The guy hasn’t even played in the playoffs yet. Oh yeah he doesn’t defend anyone either and horrible 3 point shooter. Trae young and Zion are definitely in the conversation. In Zions short time he’s been brilliant and there’s more to come just like how luka showed brilliance his first year.
Tatum is really good but not an elite once a generation type guy which I think luka and trae and Zion are. He is someone who’s worked really hard and mentored by some great players (kobe) and plays the game the right way. I’ve never been big on him in terms of being one of the elite one of one players of this generation. He could explode in the playoffs and be mamba like next year and I could be wrong but the eyes test and stats and watching him through the years I don’t see that special quality to his game unlike the other 3 who are one of one generational talents. Those other 3 guys are special talents and will be the new leaders of this post lebron/kobe era. Ja moranr is special too and should be in the conversation.
One thing I am not sure we can agree on, might agree to disagree. Players get better during their career, they are all 20, 21 or even 19. Longevity, sustainability and durability play a factor. Tatum seems to be durable, and he plays 34 minutes per game, Luka doesn't have that luxury and he has already shown that he can go out with injury for extended time. Celtics have 4 guys who can score over 20 any given night sharing the load. Tatum, Kemba, Jaylen and at times Hayward. Tatum with the highest ceiling and lower minutes. Kawhi wasn't that 'special' starting out too. First 4 seasons: 8-16 ppg.
Zions game is not just athleticism. He sees the floor very well. Great footwork. He has great handles for a big guy and can be a really good shooter in the years to come when given the opportunity.
You’re right that’s why I’m not handing the designation to luka. In fact we don’t know how these guys will play in the playoffs or when the pressure is on when defenses clamp down or when they’re doubled every night like James. It is very too early to tell and Tatum is the most battle tested in this group and has played well thus far in those scenarios. Tatum has definitely stepped up his game this year especially his handles and aggressiveness. But looking at history and the greats in any generation, these guys explode onto the scene and by their second year they’re among the best much like luka and trae young. Tatum may not be gifted as those guys but continued to work on his game and listened to great advice and coaching to be a really good and dependable player.
Sure, I'm not denying that Zion can do other things. But much like Luka will never be as athletic as Zion, Zion will never be able to do the things Luka does at nearly the similar level. Just very different skillsets. But I think Luka's skillset is more important in today's NBA.
This exact stuff has popped up across Suns' forums during Luka's first year as Suns' fans wanted to find something to cling to in order to justify Ayton's pick. They all look like complete morons now and despite Luka being so good this year, I still think this opinion is, to put it mildly, very wrong. Imagine if he gets rid of all baby fat and gets even quicker first step and gets better on defense. Imagine if he gets his 3P% to high 30%'s. Imagine if he stops complaining so much to refs and they start to actually award him FTs he should get. He can get so much better in next couple of years. Not necessarily his stats, but efficiency.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Who does Luka make better (VS a guy with his team at bottom of East)? His 3pt% is such a problem? WOOOOW do you even watch highlights of him, let alone games? Like the Spurs game few days ago, where they took the lead in fourth and then Dallas made a run where Luka either scored or assisted on all of their points on a bum ankle and finger? I guess not. Maybe you should stay on Hawks' forums, they like idiotic opinions there.
you answered none of my questions with facts. Look at his statistics btw instead of one game or a handful of games. How do you measure which player he makes better btw? Is that quantifiable? What about having dealt a bad hand or simply a matter of circumstance. Kobe had bad teams before and after winning championships. Even he couldn’t “make players better”. So that argument is flawed because you can never quantify or know how much a player makes another one better. Now you may say ok well passing. Well they both are close In assists per game. Anyway how is luka better? Just because his team has a better record? Because the GM’s personnel moves, coaching, luck of the draw, player development all have nothing to do with how good the team is and rests squarely on trae young’s shoulders? Flawed logic. If you don’t think so then convince me otherwise with facts.
