Star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is the best player in the NBA standing at 6-foot-8. Or at least that is the point of view of Bleacher Report league analyst Dan Favale, who named the Celtics forward (who very likely is actually an inch or two taller than his official listed height, but it is what it is) the Association’s best player at that height in a recent survey of the best player in the league at every height.
Assuming we can agree that the St. Louis native is not actually standing at 6-foot-10 or so, we would have to agree, as the only players Favale can find who touch on anything Tatum does on the hardwood are lacking significantly in other aspects of their respective games, as the B/R expert notes.
“Pascal Siakam deserves some consideration here,” suggests the B/R analyst. “Other than him, no one delivers convincing resistance to Jayson Tatum.”
“Scoring versatility may actually favor Siakam,” offers Favale, who may be stretching things a bit for drama. “Tatum has him beat in overall shot efficiency—while taking harder ones. He looms as the more valuable defender to boot, as someone who can rumble with bigs and point-of-attack smalls.”
“Passing evolution cements the already-sealed deal. Josh Giddey is the only 6-foot-8 player averaging more assists per game, and Tatum’s decision-making on live dribbles and versus collapsing defenses has leveled up in a way that ensures he’ll remain inside the meat and potatoes of MVP discussions for years to come.”
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