Tatum vs. Brunson 11 years ago in high school - Tatum scored 39 and led Chaminade to an 87-81 win over Stevenson despite Brunson’s 48 points
The only part of Brunson that grew since HS was his head. Crazy
Why he can’t dunk anymore like in the first clip
20 pounds and mileage on the knees will do that
He is 100 times more explosive and athletic now than in this clip
But his head size is at least 100 times more heavy and massive than in this clip
Can’t argue with that
Will someone point out how large his testicles have gotten too?/
Galaxy-brained
The air-resistance alone prevents him from getting enough height on his jump
His NBA jam character would be a true likeness of his physical form
In the NBA the rotation is coming way quicker and is also 100x more explosive and athletic. I bet he could still get some sneaky good dunks if he really wanted to but that’s more energy and risk of injury than just laying it up or a floater if the rotation is there
No way. He’s smarter and more experienced.
He probably can dunk but a lot of high jumpers say dunking not worth it outside of the highlights because it’s brutal on their knees.
Also, going against way taller defenders vs HS
Yeah, and I can’t remember the last time he had a clear, uncontested path to the rim in a game.
Game 4 vs the Cavs lol. He tried and barely got his fingertips over the rim.
While true, that was Tatum that he dunked over at the beginning of the clip.
Hes dunked a few times over the past few seasons
yea i’ve seen him dunk every now and then. i think he just doesn’t go for them unless there’s a super open lane and he’s feeling extra spicy. no reason to risk dunking in traffic when he knows he’ll make the layup.
I think the knees thing has been oversold a bit from some isolated quips by guys like Vince Carter from time to time. Jalen’s jumping, exploding, and landing hard every single game. Dunking isn’t really adding any additionally discernable strain to his knees at this point, and I say that as a long-time dunker.
I’d say the more likely reasons he doesn’t dunk like that super often have already been mentioned elsewhere. That’s a classic Rim Grazer Plus package, where you need some circumstances to be in your favor to pull those dunks off regularly. They’re easiest to employ when you’ve got a fresh pair of legs and you can freely pick your spots within a game without having to exhaust yourself by avoiding the athletic freaks of nature lurking around every corner.
For near 6 footers like Brunson, it definitely isnt worth it, too high to go, too low to land. But for taller near 7 footers, you absolutely slam it home. Leave no chance for it to get blocked or deflected
Of course he still can. Being able to dunk and being able to dunk against NBA defenders are two very different things
Same with CP3. He was like a high flying dunker in high school.
In the nba too before his injury
Same with Iverson. He used to dunk it every possible chance in high school in college. But around his 2nd NBA season he stopped going for dunks and just laid up.
Yep, and when you’re a rim grazer type, there’s some cost benefit analysis at play too, where dunking’s not always going to be a sure things for ya depending how tired your legs are and even your angle of approach.
Also, if you’re a rim grazer type in your athletic prime (and maybe a little more than rim grazer), it doesn’t take much of a dip to your vert or overall athleticism to impact your in-game dunking ability.
I’m sure he can. They teach the shorter guys not to as to not Derrick Rose themselves
He can. He just doesn’t.
But its where he stores all his extra clutch genes so its worth it
Im sure he can but he developed a skillset that allows him to get to the rack in other ways. Curry and Cp3 could both dunk but preferred not to
He can, just really hard to do it against other nba players instead of plumbers
He’s dunked like twice in the last 2 seasons. The one this year I cant find, but it was more like a really close layup.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0FKmnY4VOM
Now that’s a fucking travel.
Not a travel dude cmon… once he has both hands (full control) on the ball, he takes two steps.
Save the wear and tear tbh.
Energy conservation
Pockets too full according to Josh.
Tatum’s mom: “Is he gonna dunk it?” 😂
You must be under like 23 lol
Fame got into his head.
Head
dunks are only worth 2 points
Difficult to dunk when you have balls of steel.
It’s like those videos of LeBron at 12 where you can be certain it’s him even if they don’t tell you his name.
At 12 maybe, but LeBron has l looked like a full grown jacked adult since like 15. I remember there’s a pic of him meeting Jordan when he was like 17-18 and he already dwarfs him.
Then you got Greg Oden looking like an NBA vet in high school.
Crossover is the exact same. Really cool vid
And despite that he’s doing the same shit in the NBA now that he was doing to high schoolers in 2015. Crazy.
Reminds me of Theo from the Cosby show. His head grew three sizes.
my cousin’s head grew way bigger after high school too
Can’t see any shoulder hair in this vid
And his hair. Seeing Brunson with the baby fro before the braids he has now is crazy to see
which head? 🫣
Pause
Tatum’s midrange and Brunson’s handles/footwork already looking polished in high school - and yes Brunson has a big ol dome lol
you can tell those guys really put in the work.
And then Tatum added that stepback and forgot all about that midrange.
Midrange is much easier when nobody can guard you.
My immediate reaction is that Brunson has such a good jumper that is so different from what he does in the NBA, then I realize nobody in the clip can really guard him.
his midrange is mediocre in the NBA and he’s been more efficient since he stopped pretending he was kobe
The level of talent they have compared to the kids at my local high school is insane.
Tatum:
Chaminade College Preparatory School (St. Louis, MO) - Class of 2016
Scout Grade: 97
ESPN 100: 3rd (5 star)
2 Position, 1 Regional, 1 State
Committed: Duke
Brunson:
Stevenson High School (Lincolnshire, IL) - Class of 2015
Scout Grade: 90
ESPN 100: 16th (5 star)
1 Position, 4 Regional, 1 State
Committed: Villanova
Yeesh I was about to say ‘Tatum was class of 2011 though’ because he was a year behind me & I watched him play at Chaminade.
Then I realized that I’m thinking of Bradley Beal.
A kid in my class got a steal off Beal in 2011 and had a fast break. Beal took like three strides and pinned the ball off the backboard. My fellow dan if you see this I still think about it.
I think you mixed up the years
Yep good catch, edited
Who was ahead of Tatum positionally
Here’s the ESPN100 list. Josh Jackson and Harry Giles were ahead of Tatum.
Also, crazy how accurate scouting can be. Most of the top ten had or are having decent NBA careers. Then there’s about as many NBA guys between 11-100.
Damn there likes 4 current/recent Celtics from that same class. Tatum, RobWill, PP and Sam Hauser
Harry Giles
Heyyyyy talk about an old forgotten draft prospect!
So many Celtics fans wanted Josh Jackson that draft too lol
Tatum inside shoulder turn around fade at 5 seconds is a diabolical move for a high school player lol. And Brunson dunked on him lol. They was hooping
When it comes to high school highlights, this is one of the most impressive to me. A lot of high school highlights look crazy cause the future pros are just bigger and faster than everyone around them. But in this case, the skill and talent is just on another level, crazy
Yeah they both already have excellent footwork
Got to watch Tyrese Maxey play for Garland or maybe South Garland High. He was tall, but his shooting was effortless even from 5 ft behind the line. Didn’t look like he got out of 2nd gear all game and I was honestly a little disappointed since there was all this hype til I saw he had scored like 30. Crazy to see what he’s capable of at full speed now for the 6ers
Wish Tatum took more mid rangers than 3s. He moves so smoothly when he gets into the action
Came to say this.
I was in Brunson’s graduating class. He ran up against Jabari Parker and Jahil Okafor in the two years before winning State. Absolute legend.
Have a bunch of college friends who went to Stevenson, super cool how he goes back and has his basketball camp every year
I went to Stevenson with Brunson. I knew he had nba potential, but figured with height and lack of elite athleticism he’d be a good backup pg. crazy to see how much he’s grown
Stevenson Class of ‘15 checking in. Small world.
Class of 2016
Class of 2006. Old balls up in here.
Bro how big is this school wtf
As of last year approximately 4700 students
[Insert Oprah meme]
It’s massive, my class was 1200 students
My graduating class in 2015 (with Brunson) was over 1000 students. I’m pretty sure it is the biggest in Illinois, or at least was.
According to an article I read, Stevenson is the 9th largest public high school in the US, largest in Illinois
I was downstate for the 3 point contest and we got free tickets during his IHSA run. Him and Justin Smith were fucking NASTY
I knew Justin as a kid, dude was always miles above everybody athletically and just in height. First dunked in like 7th grade, measured at a 48” vertical at Indiana
Justin doing a rim grazer in middle school try outs while i was learning to properly do anything with a basketball is what ended my hoop dreams immediately
Damn did you go to Meridian with him or some camp?
Meridian
Ayy same here, I’m a year older than Justin
As a part of the 3 point contest, we got to watch practices. The Stevenson practice was crazy. I was enamored with watching Justin dunk, he was a sick athlete
u musta went to a good college, stevenson is one of the best hs in the country
Brooooooooooo same here Stevenson 2015 represent! We won a double championship in football and basketball senior year.
For those who don’t know, Jabari won 4 straight state championships at Simeon. Legendary run.
Here’s a cool yearbook Q&A with JB from 2013. Gave an insightful answer to his basketball weaknesses https://imgur.com/a/oKdXyoq
And both of them are NBA champions. Crazy.
yea I remember watching this live and knew Brunson would lead a 29 point comeback at MSG against Wemby and the Spurs
sup lebron didn’t know you were a blazers fan
Imagine getting cooked for 50 points against a future NBA champion and then you still gotta go home and finish your Social Studies homework.
anything is possibleeeeeee!
The amount of players on Brunson’s team that are shorter than him making him guard Tatum 😭
Brunson getting 56 of his team’s like 60-something points in a loss (before states) in his junior year is still so insane to me
And Stevenson is pretty good at sports. So they are typically not slouches (Alumni)
Class of ‘15, I can literally find Brunson and his boys in the graduation class photo.
Ayo. I was 09. He was there with my sister though! (‘13). I remember her talking about him even back then.
You’re like the 20th person I’ve seen in this thread from this high school
Ye it’s a huge school, we everywhere
Damn, they look NBA-ready in high school. That was pure skill and not just overpowering people with athleticism and dunks like you normally see.
Should still let kids out of high school in the NBA.
This is one of the most skilled high school clips I’ve ever seen
Imagine being this nice in high school
I had 20 rebounds one game in my senior year. But I could barely dribble.
I can see why they were recruited by big time schools.
Wait up…Damn JB dunked🤣
Prob first & last time 😂
Is this when Tatum taught us how to tie a tie
i need the chronology of which game first
Imagine thinking you’re great at basketball, you’re on the high school teams, and you have to defend these dudes.
Fucking disaster. Jalen looks as clean here as he does in the nba. Good luck trying to defend that as a 17 year old.
Straight from algebra 2 to Brunson dropping 48 on your head
I’m old, my brother-in-law is older, and was pretty good at basketball in his youth. Or so I thought until we watched him against a 17 year old Vince Carter.
I went to a tiny high school in mid MO. My team did a summer camp at SLU every year and played all the regional St. Louis teams.
We always got absolutely fucking clowned on by the private prep schools. I can’t imagine facing one of these guys back then.
Yeah. On a planet with 4+ billion men, only 450 worldwide can get NBA roster spots. Stars like Tatum and JB are even rarer, like 1-in-100 million. Even a 99th percentile 17 year old high schooler is going to look awful in comparison.
I know it’s all clipped off so maybe we don’t get a chance to see, but I can’t help but notice all of these verifiable cold ass plays are followed by ZERO “hey look at me” taunts. Idk if that’s just something that’s changed recently in today’s game or if it’s just the nature of actual legit competitors. Probably both.
I think it probably has something to do with their programs too. These are some fairly buttoned up high schools - Chaminade a private school, and Stevenson are top rated high school in Illinois located in an affluent suburban area.
Wasn’t too bad but Brunson was definitely throwing a solid stare down after the dunk
Tatum hasn’t aged a day. Crazy that’s he’s still 19.
Brunson was a SR, Tatum was a JR.
Totem looking nice back then. Also doesn’t look 6’8 maybe like 6’4-6’5.
There’s more ethical footwork here than in the NBA lol…
I feel that at lower levels of competition, they’re more strict with the whistle. Feels like people get away with a lot more in the NBA that they couldn’t with in college or high school.
This is clearly AI generated as Brunson is nearly 30 years old and Tatum is just 19
as a mavs fan watching this is bittersweet. dallas had brunson four years and let him walk to new york in 22 - nico didn’t think he was worth matching the max offer. kid puts up 48 in high school and loses. goes to new york as THE guy instead of luka’s second option and wins finals mvp. completely different player when he’s the one the offense is built for. mavs watched that and still managed to trade luka too. incredible organization.
Game 4 2025 east semi finals in MSG had this same vibe until uh the end of the 4th quarter.
I’ve been to so many high school games where the final score was 48-39 lol
Tatum and Brunson going band for band in the second round last year was hype as hell
….and then we all know what happened next unfortunately
Hopefully we get round 2 next year
This shows how their game hasn’t changed much which is pretty cool imo
How sick at basketball do you have to be to be “better” than a guy in Tatum who’s even taller than Lebron. Like your skill level and bag just must be out of this world. Like imagine Pritchard but multiplied by 50.
How come Tatum wasn’t guarding Brunson for the majority of these?
Looks like chamanaide was running a zone
Can confirm, was teaching there at the time.
Did you get Tatum as a student? Always wondered how he was as a student.
I didn’t, I had his younger brother. But he was a nice kid for all I’ve heard, and I’ve met him at other functions after he graduated.
I did have Sam LaPorta and Tarris Reed, tho, albeit Sam was at my 1st job. 2 of my favorite students to work with, and not because of their athletic ability in any way. They’re both legit sweethearts with good heads on their shoulders.
crazy that brunson had 48 in a loss. some things never change i guess lol
Double knee braces in HS? You can tell Brunson was a diving on the floor menace.
Brunson dunk!
Looking like a couple of pros
Crazy Tatum was playing like a 6ft guard, despite being nearly 7ft tall, when in high school. I mean that both in a positive and negative way.
[deleted]
wut? He was 6’8” in high school.
I remember my dad calling me to say Brunson dropped 48. He was a Villanova fan not from Chicago…
Don’t matter. Brunson clapped those cheeks in the dance.
11 Years ago was 2015.
My question is how the hell did he get drafted on the second round lol.
His size/height
But he was still so talented and accomplished
that haircut brunson rockin is crazy
I read this as Tatum and Brunson at 11 years old and it made me feel very bad about myself. I was like ‘these guys were doing this at 11!?’
It’s crazy to think about all the time it takes, and all the things that have to go right, all the little actions that have to go well, to get from there to starting in the NBA.
My mind is broken where I’m like, “oh, they’re playing as kids in the ‘90s” meanwhile LeBron was already old and Curry had reinvented the game.
Crazy how only 3 years later was when Tatum boomed LeBron in the ECF
Their technique is there already.
Brunson dropped 48 and still lost. Then won two national titles and a Finals MVP. Man has been getting buckets and being doubted his entire career
DAMN, they BOTH STILL okay EXACTLY the same!
Imagine getting punched on like that by Brunson, sheesh.
This is a crazy footage. Did any one of them ever commented on this?
Funny because Brunson’s play style is exactly how James Harden’s should have been in order to win a few rings.
Interesting that two Finals MVPs didn’t celebrate or taunt after every bucket like the supposed can’t miss 14-year old playing against kids half their size prospects do today.
Uhm, there’s just one Finals MVP in the OP’s video clip (and it ain’t Tatum).
Hard to believe Jayson was only 3 years old here
I bet they shook hands after the game too.
Both wearing Kobe’s! Nice!
High school versus prep school*
Men amongst boys.
How is Tatum in HS better than me now
Why didn’t Brunson just score 55 points? Is he stupid?
Obviously you see the talent, but damn, Van Gundy called it. I watched a lot of Mavs games and he really praised Brunson tons nearly every game.
That’s so cool to see
Battle of the Kobe stans lol
Crazy that Tatum actually is one year younger now than he was in that clip
Brunson stepping back and killing in the mid range just like in the pros
See lots of JT scoring on Brunson, not one clip vice versa
Stevenson running man while Chaminade running zone
Brunson would be a Stevenson boy.
This… “…despite Brunson’s 48 points.” got me.
JB was already a killer in HS.
Both NBA champs is crazy.
Now only one of them has a finals mvp
OP I was just thinking this morning about how Tatum has been put in top 5 and MVP conversations in recent years and Brunson’s scenario and stats are pretty damn similar yet he hasn’t even broken the top 10.
Noticing Tatum never really guarded Jalen, but Jalen is the guarding him the majority of the video. Wonder why that is
Chaminade was running a zone
Only one of these guys is a finals mvp
This sub loves to hate on Kobe, but this is literally part of his legacy Two future 1A championship-level players out there running his exact style of game and executing it at a high level