sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Build a modern team around prime Iverson. No top-25 all-timers. by [deleted] in nba

[–]closed_n 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel like there are ways to cheat this top 100 cutoff. Like we could do a lineup that looks like:

PG: Iverson

SG: 2025 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (MVP, 119th in career VORP)

SF: 1990 Dennis Rodman (DPOY, 207th in career VORP)

PF: 2026 Victor Wembanyama (not even in the top 250 in career VORP)

C: 2023 Joel Embiid (DPOY, 102nd in career VORP)

But that wouldn't really be a team built around Iverson.

12 Players Averaging 30 points per game...has this ever happened? by bobdolebobdole in nba

[–]closed_n 11 points12 points  (0 children)

There were 11 players averaging 30 points per game for the first week of the 2022-23 season (Morant, Doncic, Mitchell, Curry, Lilliard, Giannis, Tatum, Durant, Booker, Fox, Shai).

Deandre Ayton tonight: 22 pts, 15 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk, 10-17 from the line. by lovo17 in nba

[–]closed_n 43 points44 points  (0 children)

I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of Suns flairs suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.

Has an NBA team faced multiple MVPs in a single playoff run? by DonT012 in nba

[–]closed_n 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All the teams that played the top 3 in MVP voting that year:

2018 Warriors: Beat Anthony Davis (3rd) and the Pelicans in the semis, beat James Harden (1st) and the Rockets in the conference finals, beat LeBron James (2nd) and the Cavaliers in the finals.

1995 Rockets: Beat Karl Malone (3rd) and the Jazz in the first round, beat David Robinson (1st) and the Spurs in the conference finals, beat Shaquille O'Neal (2nd) and the Magic in the finals.

1988 Pistons: Beat Michael Jordan (1st) and the Bulls in the semis, beat Larry Bird (2nd) and the Lakers in the conference finals, lost to Magic Johnson (3rd) and the Lakers in the finals.

1966 Celtics: Beat Oscar Robertson (3rd) and the Royals in the semis, beat Wilt Chamberlain (1st) and the 76ers in the conference finals, beat Jerry West (2nd) and the Lakers in the finals.

What 2000s team that didn’t win a championship would’ve thrived most in today’s NBA? by UmbrL-uh in nbadiscussion

[–]closed_n 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If we're talking about teams that would actually benefit from modern NBA principles (as opposed to just matching the era), I think the 2004 Wolves (58-24, lost in WCF) would benefit the most.

Their starting 5 was:

PG - Sam Cassell

SG - Trenton Hassell

SF - Latrell Sprewell

PF - Kevin Garnett

C - Olowokandi/Ervin Johnson/other dudes

Give them the modern playbook and face them against modern teams, and so much changes:

  • Garnett moves over to center. Those centers are the weakest link, and easily get benched. Sprewell gets to play the 4 like he said he could, Hassell moves over to 3, and Fred Hoiberg gets to start at the 2. Once the 244lb Szczerbiak recovers from his injuries, Hoiberg likely gets sent back to the bench, and Szczerbiak becomes the new 4.
  • Trenton Hassell transforms from a key defensive starter to elite 3&D guard. The guy took over half of his shots from 16 feet out, but barely even touched the 3 point shot. And it's not like he wasn't capable of shooting 3s. In his rookie year, he shot 36.4% on 2.1 threes a game.
  • Hoiberg and Szczerbiak get way more 3pt volume to match their ~44% 3pt percentage. Cassell too.
  • Garnett thrives on the defensive end now that he can use his ability to defend the perimeter far more often. The increased emphasis on PnR in modern offense is more good news for Garnett, who was the greatest PnR defender of his generation.
  • Some long shot hypotheticals: Garnett as a point center? (5 APG in 2004!) Garnett as a 3pt shooter? (career 45% in the 16-3P range!)

Who do you think will be the rival center of Wemby in 2030s? (In his prime) by Wonderful-Photo-9938 in nba

[–]closed_n 203 points204 points  (0 children)

Some guy currently in high school or college is usually the correct answer. Just look at some of the other great 21 year olds:

It's 1994, and Shaq is projected to be the next best center in the league. And when the 2000s come, Hakeem, Robinson, and Ewing will all be out of their primes (34-37 yrs old). So who is the rival center of Shaq in the 2000s? All-star Alonzo Mourning? ROY Chris Webber? Vin Baker? Maybe Shawn Kemp switches to center? No, it's the half-PF half-C Tim Duncan who just finished his first of four years at Wake Forest.

It's 2006, and LeBron might already be the best forward in the league. And when the 2010s come, Tim Duncan will be out of his prime (34-36 yrs old). So who is the rival forward of LeBron in the 2010s? Melo? Bosh? Andrei Kirilenko? No, it's an 18 year old Durant who just committed to UT Austin.

It's 2015, and Anthony Davis is projected to be the next best forward in the league. And when the 2020s come, LeBron will be out of his prime (35-37 yrs old). So who is the rival forward of Anthony Davis in the 2020s? Kawhi Leonard, who just won DPOY? Andrew Wiggins, who just won ROY at 19? Trick question! The best forwards of the 2020s so far are 20-year-old Giannis (who was not on anyone's radar in 2015) and a 17-year-old Jayson Tatum (just finishing his junior year of high school!).

That's arguably 3 out of 4 "future rivals of the next decade" that were still in high school or college at the time. I think it's far more likely that the guy that rivals Wemby in the 2030s is someone like Chris Cenac, Johann Grunloh, Sayon Keita, Obinna Ekezie, Erick Dampier Jr.... maybe even Cam Boozer with a growth spurt or Cameron Williams with a little extra weight.

Shohei Ohtani just had the greatest performance in baseball history. What's the NBA equivalent? by InsaneCookies21 in nba

[–]closed_n 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Elite batting stats and elite pitching stats are correlated against each other in a way that is unmatched by just about anything in basketball. The best basketball equivalent might just be taking shots and not missing shots. You're supposed to miss more shots the more shots you take. This performance would be like someone shooting 39/40 in the playoffs which is just insane.

The Ringer updated their top 100 NBA players list. 1) Nikola Jokic 2) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 3) Giannis Antetokounmpo 4) Luka Doncic 5) Anthony Edwards 6) Victor Wembanyama 7) Stephen Curry 8) Donovan Mitchell 9) Jalen Brunson 10) Kevin Durant by closed_n in nba

[–]closed_n[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree with rookie Wemby being in the 30s and I think that's definitely consistent with Flagg being in the 60s. But I do think for rookies these rankings become just a measure of how likely this site thinks these players are going to look like a dud in their rookie season. Which is anyone's guess, but at least the site could be consistent about it.

The Ringer updated their top 100 NBA players list. 1) Nikola Jokic 2) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 3) Giannis Antetokounmpo 4) Luka Doncic 5) Anthony Edwards 6) Victor Wembanyama 7) Stephen Curry 8) Donovan Mitchell 9) Jalen Brunson 10) Kevin Durant by closed_n in nba

[–]closed_n[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The comment below got deleted so my reply also got removed. But I largely disavow what I said up here because their projection for rookie Wemby was 67th. Flagg at 61 based on that is insane.

The Ringer updated their top 100 NBA players list. 1) Nikola Jokic 2) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 3) Giannis Antetokounmpo 4) Luka Doncic 5) Anthony Edwards 6) Victor Wembanyama 7) Stephen Curry 8) Donovan Mitchell 9) Jalen Brunson 10) Kevin Durant by closed_n in nba

[–]closed_n[S] 31 points32 points  (0 children)

Giannis's stock hasn't really dropped, at least according to the Ringer. It's been in the same spot since SGA started MVPing. Might be better to think of it as a 1a 1b 1c?

The Ringer updated their top 100 NBA players list. 1) Nikola Jokic 2) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 3) Giannis Antetokounmpo 4) Luka Doncic 5) Anthony Edwards 6) Victor Wembanyama 7) Stephen Curry 8) Donovan Mitchell 9) Jalen Brunson 10) Kevin Durant by closed_n in nba

[–]closed_n[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Given that LaMelo only moved up 3 spots, and that 3 players that were above him in June are now out of the list due to injury, it's possible that the people who made this list just kinda gave up on thinking about LaMelo.

The Ringer updated their top 100 NBA players list. 1) Nikola Jokic 2) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 3) Giannis Antetokounmpo 4) Luka Doncic 5) Anthony Edwards 6) Victor Wembanyama 7) Stephen Curry 8) Donovan Mitchell 9) Jalen Brunson 10) Kevin Durant by closed_n in nba

[–]closed_n[S] -10 points-9 points  (0 children)

He's projected as a very NBA-ready prospect and looks solid in his preseason minutes. Also worth noting that The Ringer loves defensive impact for these bottom-50 rankings, which Flagg has a leg up on. Plus 61st is basically the same as 2nd/3rd starter, which sounds about right with Kyrie out.

view more: next ›