ESPN's Stephen A. Smith Says Jayson Tatum is Better Than Luka Doncic; Why He's Wrong
When it comes to comparing NBA superstars, more times than not, declaring which player is 'better' can be subjective. Other times, though, stats, accolades and team-building context can be used to clearly see which player is superior, even though both might be in the same top tier.
On the latest episode of the Club Shay Shay podcast with Shannon Sharpe, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith joined the show as a guest to discuss a plethora of topics, including why he believes Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum is a better player than Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic.
"I saw Jayson Tatum drop 46 in a closeout playoff game in Milwaukee," Smith said. "I saw Jayson Tatum handle his business in a Game 7. I've seen a young Jayson Tatum, who ain't even 27 years of age yet, be a primary option on a team that's gone to five conference championship series and an NBA Finals."
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First off, it seems as if Smith's memory is selective, as he apparently doesn't recall Doncic massacring the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in Game 7 of the Mavs' 2022 second-round series to advance to the Western Conference Finals. Doncic had 35 points in that game, leading Dallas to a 57-27 halftime lead, and he didn't even have to play in the fourth quarter.
When comparing individual accolades, Doncic has four All-NBA first team selections to Tatum's two, despite being a year younger. Doncic also holds career postseason averages of 32.5 points – which is second only to Michael Jordan on the all-time list – 9.3 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from deep. Tatum holds postseason averages of 23.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting 44.3 percent from the field and 35.9 percent from deep.
Sure, Tatum has been to a handful of conference finals and one NBA Finals, but he's also had a lot more roster talent to work with than Doncic has over the last five years and also hasn't had to shoulder as much of a load. Where Tatum has spent his entire career growing along his co-star in Jaylen Brown, Doncic has only played 16 games alongside his first true co-star in Kyrie Irving, who the Mavs traded for before last season's deadline. Doncic has a career usage rate of 35.6 percent, whereas Tatum's is at 27.7 percent.
When deciding which player is 'better,' team success definitely has to be part of the formula, but it can't be the end-all, be-all. Context matters, and when considering all the data we have from both players at this point, it seems pretty clear that Doncic is the better player than Tatum.
If Tatum ends up winning a title and Finals MVP before Doncic does, perhaps we revisit this conversation, but we aren't at that point just yet. For now, we'll respectfully say Mr. Stephen A. Smith is wrong.
