We have seen Isaiah Tatum at previous events and was on our radar as a division one prospect, but his play against Team Wall at the Hoop Group Southern Invitational grabbed our attention even more! For the majority of the game, it looked like Raleigh Elite was going to pull off a major upset, but Team Wall rallied to secure the win. That being said, we were really impressed with the play of 5’11 ’18 Isaiah Tatum. First of all, Tatum played with tremendous energy (especially on the offensive side of the court) and demonstrated the ability to balance out scoring and being the team’s facilitator. He finished the game with 22 points, but it was the manor in which he scored. Tatum was scoring from all levels. He was knocking down 3-pointers, hitting floaters and attacking the rim. We were impressed with his overall offensive skillset that make it difficult for the opposing team.
Tatum has excellent quickness and has a smooth shooting touch from the perimeter. His “textbook form” and technique are high level and he shot with efficiency. When the defense crowded him and took away his jumper, Tatum exhibited a quick first step and got into the lane with ease where he either made scoring opportunities or kicked out timely passes to his teammates.
While Tatum is a rising sophomore, he is definitely one to monitor and track. While he is somewhat undersized, he played bigger than his listed height and makes up for it with his “wits” and quickness. The next step in his development is to show equal passion defensively and to use his quickness to dictate the flow of the game on the opposing PG. More importantly, Tatum played with confidence and demonstrated a competitive on court attitude that will make a big impression moving forward.