Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Jayson Tatum or Luka Doncic? NBA Scouts Make Their Pick
There are plenty of talented NBA players, but few are capable of leading a franchise. The list gets shortened when comparing the talents who could become the league's future. Two names that are consistently mentioned include Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum.
Tatum, 24, is coming off a season averaging 26.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 4.4 assists and was integral in the Boston Celtics pulling off a trip to the NBA Finals. He earned the first All-NBA First-Team nod of his career in the process.
Doncic led the Dallas Mavericks to the Western Conference before losing to the eventual NBA champion Golden State Warriors. He averaged 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 8.7 assists in what became his third consecutive All-NBA First-Team campaign.
There are many topics debated where Doncic and Tatum are put against each other. The latest: Who will be the best player in the NBA in five years? A survey of 15 NBA coaches, scouts, and executives in the annual ESPN survey offered their take for the league as a whole, in which Giannis Antetokounmpo (seven votes), Doncic (six votes), and Tatum (two votes) were chosen.
One of the scouts attributed the difference in defensive impact as the basis for picking Tatum over Doncic. While Doncic can shoulder an ultra-high usage rate, the scout doesn't see that as being more valuable than having a better defender.
"Just because of the defensive component," said an Eastern Conference scout. "Luka is a stud, and you don't need to be a defensive lockdown guy to be an All-NBA player like he is, but having Tatum's self-creation ability, his physical tools and his ability to give you defensive versatility, that's pretty special.
"Luka did a hell of a job carrying that team this year, but the two-way wing creator/scorer is the ultimate archetype, and Tatum is that at 24 years old, and just got that team to the Finals. I just like his ability to give you something defensively that Luka likely never will be able to."
Another scout that participate in the survey made it clear that he's not picking anyone else over Doncic over the next five years. Even with conditioning being a mentioned concern, the scout isn't hesitant with his choice.
"It's hard to bet against him," an East scout said. "There's some worries about whether he'll keep up with his conditioning, but I'm not betting on anybody over him in five years."
Doncic has become a transcend battle-tested playoff performer who puts up massive numbers regardless of the matchup. He produced great results against the elite LA Clippers defense with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in two playoff series. Then he was masterful against Rudy Gobert, Mikal Bridges and the Phoenix Suns, and then lastly, against a Warriors defense with Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green.
During his NBA postseason career, Doncic is averaging 32.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 7.9 assists. He trails only Michael Jordan in career playoff scoring average and has averaged at least 31 points per game in each of his three trips to the postseason.
While some will point to defense when picking other players, Doncic's ability to lead a half-court offense at his size with elite scoring ability and passing is rivaled only by LeBron James. A skill-set of that kind has more value than a wing scorer who doesn't even guard the opposition's best player.
You can follow Grant Afseth on Twitter at @GrantAfseth.
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