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Devin Booker vs Jayson Tatum is a comparison of two young superstars carving their way towards an NBA championship. Even though Tatum carried the Celtics towards the Eastern Conference Finals, and D Book faded under Luka Doncic’s spotlight, both players are evenly matched when it comes to their basketball abilities.
Devin Booker vs Jayson Tatum comparison
So with everything considered, we thought we’d take a little step-back (pun intended) from all the playoff action and do a little Tatum vs Booker comparison to see which young gun has a brighter future.
Get ready for the battle of the NBA’s most promising talents, Devin Booker vs Jayson Tatum.
Let’s talk numbers
The best way to look at player comparisons is obviously the numbers. In the Devin Booker vs Jayson Tatum comparison, it’s more like splitting hairs. Even though they play in different positions, Tatum and Booker’s games are very similar.
Both are explosive offensive threats that can get their shot off at any time. Booker relies a lot on his speed and can create space against the best defenders. Tatum in comparison is a bit slower but is a crafty scorer with footwork just as good as Booker’s.
According to basketball-reference, this year, both players are averaging around 27 points, and dishing out around five assists.
Tatum edges out Booker in rebounds but that’s due to his height advantage. He’s also shooting 45% from the field and 35% from deep, while Booker is posting similar numbers. Through 68 games played this season, Booker is shooting 46% from the field and draining 38% of his 3s.
The Booker vs Tatum comparison on defense however is in Tatum’s advantage. According to Statmuse, Jayson Tatum is allowing 106.3 points defensively this year, while Booker is allowing 108.8.
Even though Tatum is the better defender with his 6’11 wingspan and bulkier physique, Booker has silenced his doubters on the defensive end by consistently improving over the last few years. Just like the Celtics, the Suns are among the NBA’s best defences, and the effort Booker is now showing on the defensive can only propel him into higher superstar status.
However, considering the Suns losing in the Western Conference Semis, and Tatum bulldozing his way through Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo, Tatum has to stand out and win in this category.
Impact
Now that we got the numbers out of the way, let’s look at how both players impact the game. This is where the Devin Booker vs Jayson Tatum comparison gets interesting.
Devin Booker is only 25 years old, and he’s been in the NBA for seven seasons. Even though the Suns were mostly irrelevant before the Chris Paul era, Booker was still a straight up baller. He posted big numbers night in and night out and managed to improve his game every year. Nevertheless, the Suns were still one of the worst teams in the NBA, so Booker did not have much of an impact on winning.
Perhaps the best example of this came against the Celtics of all teams in March 2017. Booker dropped a 70 piece, and the Suns still lost the game. While scoring is obviously the best way to win games, there are a lot of other areas where players can impact the game, and Booker is simply a pure scorer.
After adding Chris Paul, the Suns obviously became one of the best teams in the league, but there is no doubt that it’s Paul who impacts the game the most on that Suns roster.
The story is different in Boston. Jayson Tatum was drafted by Boston in 2018 and he’s never missed the playoffs in all five seasons of his career. Granted, the Celtics were a much better equipped team than the Suns. But in his rookie season, Tatum was the centerpiece on a roster that went toe and toe with LeBron James, eventually losing in seven in the Eastern Conference Finals.
In his 5th season with the Celtics, Tatum is clearly the best player on the roster, and that puts more pressure on him to impact the game compared to Booker. He’s developed as a playmaker, and improved his shot making taking the Celtics to their 4th Eastern Conference Finals in six years.
When all is said and done, it’s Tatum who has the bigger impact between the two.
Swag
When it comes to swag, Devin’s Booker classic car collection alone gives him the win in this category. However, on-court, the Devin Booker vs Jayson Tatum swag comparison is a very close one.
For starters both players have Kobe like approaches to the game, but considering his height, Tatum is the more explosive of the two.
In his five-year career, Tatum has posted five 50-point games, tying him with Larry Bird. Booker on the other hand has posted three in his seven seasons with the Suns.
The truth is, both players can torch defences with their slick footwork, buttery strokes, and in-your-face step-backs. There is no doubt that Kobe would be proud!
Verdict
While both players are superstars, Jayson Tatum is more valuable to the Celtics right now. He’s also proven that he can be the number one option on a contending team. This does not take away from Booker’s value to the Suns, it just shows how Tatum has grown during his time in Boston.
Watch out for the Cs and Tatum in these playoffs. Banner 18 could be lifted up to the rafters sooner than you think.
