best 2 way players nba history

The 50 Greatest Players in National Basketball Association History, also referred to as NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team or NBA's Top 50, were chosen in 1996 to honor the 50th anniversary of the founding of the National Basketball Association (NBA). (which favors balance between the two instead of a lopsided total in one category), The Longer Democrats Debate Their Infrastructure Plan, The Less Popular It Could Become, The 2021 Elections That Will Show Us Where The Parties Are Headed. When you're that good around the rim, though, that's what people remember. #1: Gary Payton #2: John Stockton Most younger people don’t know how dominant John Stockton was in his heyday. @Neil_Paine, NBA (955 posts) Olajuwon had kind of an odd career, peaking as an all-around player in his 30s. Michael Jordan ( 10 time all nba 1st team, 9 time all defensive 1st team, 1 time defensive player of the year ) Kareem Abdul Jabbar ( 10 time all nba 1st team, 5 time all defensive 1st team ) Kobe Bryant ( 11 time all nba 1st team, 9 time all defensive 1st team ) Tim Duncan ( 10 time all nba 1st team, 8 time all defensive 1st team ) Hakeem Olajuwon ( 6 time all nba 1st team, 5 time all defensive 1st team, 2 time defensive player … He was the definition of unstoppable. Got it? The next big thing. FS1 | FOX | FOX News | Fox Corporation | FOX Sports Supports | FOX Deportes, ™ and © 2020 Fox Media LLC and Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. Nothing I can say here will change your mind about where Kobe stands as an all-timer. Neil Paine is a senior writer for FiveThirtyEight. Shooters are a valuable asset for any team. Frazier was named to the All-Defensive First Team seven times, and he was also selected to seven All-Star Games. I chose a pretty simple way—players that produce points. And on defense, Duncan was uniformly incredible throughout his career. Honorable Mention: Russell Westbrook Brodie averaged a triple-double for a third straight year In other words, which of them were both very effective as young players and as old players? Prime Olajuwon was a force to be reckoned with on both ends of the floor. An All-Star in every full season that he played for the Boston Celtics, six-time NBA champion Bob Cousy was an all-around player: he averaged 18.4 points, 7.5 assists and 5.2 … Duncan was at the forefront of the league for the past two decades, winning five championships and a pair of MVPs as the best player of the generation that entered the league as MJ was on his way out. Deal with it. If Robinson is the most underrated player in basketball, Robertson is the most overlooked. With the caveat that I never watched Wilt Chamberlain, however, Shaq was the single most dominant player I've seen. By that standard, Duncan has no peers among modern NBA players: Includes all NBA regular seasons and playoffs from 1973-74 to the present. Let's just move on. Maybe the most underrated player in NBA history. If for no other reason than leading the Mavs to their title over LeBron's Heat, Dirk has to be in the top 25. Michael Jordan was unquestionably the best player of the 90s, but his teammate was right behind him. Scottie Pippen was the 2nd-best player of the '90s. Tim Duncan (9). San Antonio Spurs (67) He was the driving force behind some of the greatest defenses in history. Help | Viewer Feedback | Press | Advertise With Us | Jobs | FOX Cincy | RSS | Site Map Perhaps that’s why, when Real Plus-Minus creator Jeremias Engelmann released a bank of adjusted plus/minus data encompassing the 2001-2014 seasons, Duncan ranked as the third-best player of that era, trailing only Kevin Garnett and LeBron James. Farewell To Tim Duncan, The Greatest Two-Way Player In Modern NBA History. Wilt was undoubtedly one of the three most dominant players ever, but he played in a weaker era -- and he couldn't overcome his nemesis. Good. His reign as the best-shooting big man of all-time solidifies his standing. Regarded as one of the greatest two-way point guards in league history, Walt Frazier led the New York Knicks to two NBA titles. But for whatever reason — be it playing in small-market San Antonio, his relatively low-key public persona or all the things that go into a nickname like the Big Fundamental — Duncan’s greatness remains undersold in many quarters. He ultimately closed out a 15-year career having posted averages of 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 2.3 steals per game. The John Stockton story is also the Karl Malone story, conveniently enough. Getting there …. And he poisoned locker rooms. Gentry uses Jrue as the Pelicans main perimeter stopper and he delivers every night out there. Back in 2014, my colleague Nate Silver was curious about how rare that combination was for a player: I wondered which other players in the NBA, and in the other major team sports, have had so much impact over their full professional lives. There weren’t many. That’s slightly higher than Duncan placed according to Player Efficiency Rating (he was fifth), Win Shares per 48 minutes (also fifth) or even Box Plus/Minus (sixth), which is designed to emulate plus/minus ratings derived from more granular data. I'm just afraid we ignore Cap's dominance because of his 20 seasons in the league. And even in the twilight of his career, Duncan consistently ranked among the league’s top five defensive players according to the plus/minus metrics. Bird is a bit lower in my book than he might be in others because of the injuries -- and because he didn't revolutionize the game the way Steph Curry is these days. Young Wade was one of the greatest scorers ever. He was a fantastic playmaker and all-around player as well. Basketball. In terms of suppressing offensive efficiency (relative to league average), Duncan’s Spurs were the NBA’s best defensive dynasty since Bill Russell’s Celtics. Here, we take a look at the best shooters in NBA history… Yet, as reliable a point-maker as he was, Moncrief was an even better defender. To measure this, I used a couple of statistics from Basketball-Reference.com: value over replacement player (VORP) and Win Shares, both of which strive to capture a player’s total on-court influence over his team’s success.1 I converted both metrics to a figure representing wins above replacement (WAR), and broke down each into its offensive and defensive components, zeroing out seasons where a player dipped into negative-value territory. Perhaps the first surprising name on this list, KG checks off dominance (particularly on defense, where he might somehow be underrated these days) and championships. Chuck was a logical paradox -- a "6-foot-6" power forward with a taste for McDonald's who actually stood just 6-foot-4 yet somehow gobbled up boards to the point that he earned the nickname "The Round Mound of Rebound.". The top tier. Michael Jordan was the best player … No one outside of LeBron James can touch Pippen's versatility, and his defense was second-to-none. One of the greatest shooters and scorers ever -- and a guy who's overrated thanks to a couple of high-profile playoff moments against the Knicks. Alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, the … NFL's Best Two-Way Players of All Time 0 of 13 It's certainly hard to believe, but there was once a time period where professional football players were expected to play multiple positions. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! at Paul “The Truth” Pierce was one of the best players ever to put on a Boston Celtics uniform, helping them win an NBA championship during his time with the team. Ranking NBA's 20 best forwards: Takeaways from the league's most versatile position group Just about every kind of player fills these rankings of the top 20 forwards in the NBA. Now, get ready to yell and scream about these rankings. 17.3k Likes, 431 Comments - (@timeouthoops) on Instagram: “Is Kobe the best two way player in NBA history?⬇️ - Big thanks to @slamstudios for letting me use…” Duncan never scored more than 25 points per game after age 25, and he didn’t crack 20 PPG after turning 30. Since Duncan has only added to his post-32 totals since then, let’s re-run the same exercise, updated through the end of Duncan’s career: Sorted by harmonic mean of NBA Win Shares through age 24 and from age 33 onward. Next comes defense, because it wins championships. Had Magic not retired early, he'd be the second-best player ever. All rights reserved Coincidentally enough, rings fall in line behind defense. Coach Gregg Popovich and the flu. Winning a ring is difficult and takes a team effort. The post-Jordan NBA era unofficially ended Monday, when San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan announced his retirement after 19 seasons as a pro. Not us, though. He’s undeniably on the shortlist of the best defenders in basketball history. Commonly used in basketball, a two-way player excels at both the offensive side … In that same vein, versatility is the second-most important quality for an all-timer. Since VORP only goes back to 1973-74, that’s the earliest season included in my sample. Old Wade is a player trying to fight against age and the rising tide of 3-point shooting in the league. Dwyane Wade's recent comments that LeBron James can never surpass Michael Jordan as the NBA's greatest player of all-time got us thinking. With this build, you can not only make it rain but also start with a good enough Pass Accuracy rating to throw half-decent lobs. To create All-Time #NBArank, we put together a ballot with the 150 greatest players ever. Dumars averaged 0.9 steals and 0.1 blocks per game during his time with the Pistons and was nominated in the All-Defensive First Team four times and All-Defensive Second Team once. His ability to pulverize the opposition makes him one of the very, very best in my book. Duncan defined one of basketball's most successful franchises for almost 20 years. By then, Air Jordan had transformed his game to that of a complete player. Kawhi Leonard Is the Best Two-Way Player in the NBA Brett Oswalt — @bRo14thekid Dec 11th, 2015 Leonard's two-way dominance is best in the NBA by a wide margin. Put it all together, and it’s hard to find a modern player with a better combination of offensive and defensive résumés than Duncan. It's not enough to have reached your peak for just a season or two, but a decent stretch of destroying the competition means more to me than maintaining an elite level of play that never quite reached that next stratosphere. But Duncan augmented his point totals with good efficiency, great rebounding and a nice passing touch for a big man that allowed him to anchor the Spurs’ offense even when his days as a big-time scorer were in the past. They space the floor and keep their teams in a winning position. Yeah, probably. And as great as Duncan looks according to the numbers above, both studies were conducted using derivatives of the basic box-score stats. … Duncan also performed those acts of all-around greatness for just about two decades straight, playing like a Hall of Famer as both a young player and an old one. At only 29, he is already a 2 x DPOY and 6 x All Defense. See below for more information on Two-Way Players from the 2020-21 season. (2… Sidney Moncrief averaged over 20 ppg from 1982-86, scoring mostly with a deadly pull-up springer. I'll explain my criteria here. Titles matter, of course, but I won't hold it against a player if he came up short of a championship -- not too much, anyway. His low-post game, premised around that classic bank shot, was solid but rarely feared, particularly later in his career. Klay Thompson is one of the most underrated players in all of basketball. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. No one has ever come close to combining his … With the NBA season less than three weeks away, and after LeBron James skyrocketed up the all-time list with his epic Finals performance this summer, it's time to debate the 25 best players to play the game. I looked at NBA history and found the players who, either through scoring or passing, produced the most points per game, i.e. 4:23 PM. The league is just now realizing how important spacing the floor is, but that doesn't mean 3s are more valuable now than they were 30 years ago. Police Misconduct Trials Are Rare. You can point to the different pace of the game and all the context you want; the fact of the matter is the man averaged a triple-double in a season, which is absolutely ridiculous. Jul. If Durant wins a ring (or, more likely, multiple rings), will people forgive him for helping to form one of the NBA's most egregious superteam? Leading the Cavs back from a 3-1 deficit cemented LeBron's status as the second-best player in NBA history. Use of this website (including any and all parts and components) constitutes your acceptance of these TERMS OF USE and UPDATED PRIVACY POLICY. If you were able to do it all, you'll rank higher on this list. Then comes longevity, which is absolutely important. From The King to The Stifle Tower, here are the top 20 players in the NBA … He is putting career high in points/ rebounds/ assists/ steals and blocks. I used to have Russell in my top three. In the end, Duncan still trails Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — it’s really tough to beat that guy in longevity-based measures — but he did pass Michael Jordan for No. Dumars wasn’t an elite defender like some of the other players on this list, but he was one of the best two-way players in the league at the time. Inside the top 10, we're really splitting hairs. But Baylor was so outstanding with the Lakers that it's impossible to hold his era against him. The centers. Sharing the back court with Earl Monroe, the Knicks were a juggernaut during the early 1970s. Then I summed up offensive and defensive WAR for a player’s entire career — including the playoffs, where Duncan built a good amount of his legend — and took the harmonic mean (which favors balance between the two instead of a lopsided total in one category) of a player’s offensive and defensive tallies. As I briefly mentioned in ranking Elgin Baylor, your competition matters when we're talking about dominance. Tim Duncan did it all. Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs. The NBA won’t be the same without him in it next season. Leonard is currently the best two-way player in the NBA and has been over the last half-decade. NBA G League 101: Two-Way Contracts Beginning in the 2017 offseason, NBA rosters expanded from 15 to 17 players with the addition of two spots for players under “Two-Way Contracts.” For the 2020-21 season, NBA teams may now have up to 15 active […] What We Know About The New Voting Restrictions Many States Are Considering. All-Time #NBArank rolls on with the countdown of the best small forwards in NBA history. The next tier. Most basketball fans love arguing about who ranks where among the game's very best, but few actually commit to a list of the top players ever. Already one of the best scoring pairs in the NBA, together they make one of the best one-two punches in the league. If everything else is equal, dominance matters to me above everything else. All rights reserved. While out there guarding opponents best players from Russ to Paul George to KD to everyone in between. These 50 players were selected through a vote by a panel of media members, former players and coaches, and current and former general managers. In a game that's often decided by the sum of your errors, Duncan rarely made mistakes. Those can be fine for estimating a player’s value in a broad sense, but they have a tendency to misfire in some areas — such as defense, or even the more subtle aspects of offense like screening or space-creation — where Duncan happened to excel. I understand the arguments against Shaq being even a top-10 player. For an answer, Nate looked at each player’s Win Shares before age 25 and after age 32, taking the harmonic mean (yes, that again) of the two numbers to find players who matched Duncan’s career path. In fact, being able to put together an extended run of dominance trumps everything else. BY Kevin Brown - USA Today Sports Images. Leading the Cavs back from a 3-1 deficit cemented LeBron's status as the second-best player in NBA history. From the moment he stepped into the NBA, he was one of its best players. So here are a couple of ways in which he made a case for being the best player in modern NBA history. It seems absurd to say right now, but LeBron might end up making 10 straight Finals appearances. Yes, I penalize Bird for not taking more 3s. The all-time leading scorer is famous for his longevity and all the records that came with a storied career. Holiday, one of the NBA’s best two-way players, is a perfect fit in Milwaukee’s system. Michael Jordan is simply the platinum standard for every two-way player at every position. If you want to claim he's a top-three player, though, I'm down with that. He took entire seasons off. Taking stock of best of best two-way players in NBA today. A man who sacrificed glory for the sake of the team. In other words, Duncan’s contributions might be somewhat underrated when we line up his stats against those of other greats from history. Bonus points to the Mailman for being one of the few NBA players to fix his free-throw shooting over his career. No one has ever come close to combining his dominance, versatility, and intelligence into one package. Paul Pierce — 10 ejections. NBA History NBA History; Coaches ... or letting him walk to use the cap space on other players in free ... has the chance to become one of the best two-way players available at … Michael Jordan Wilt Chamberlain Hakeem Olajuwon Kevin Garnett John Havlicek Tim Duncan David Robinson Kobe Bryant Jerry West Kareem Abdul-Jabbar From The King to The Stifle Tower, here are the top 20 players in the NBA right now. Dr. J made his reputation as a scorer and high-flyer, which is kind of a shame. "Longevity without dominance or rings": the John Stockton story. He was named to 15 All-Defensive teams — the last of which came at age 38 — and led the league in defensive Win Shares five times, to go with nine other top-five finishes. That’s something the 10 most ejected players in NBA history know all too well. Best 3pt Playmaker (PlaySharp) Build In NBA 2K20 | Best Glitchy Unknown Build Series Part 12.5 With the rise of Steph Curry and the three-ball, everyone and their mama want to splash from deep. Instead, Cities Pay Millions To Settle Misconduct Claims. If he played today, he'd give LeBron a run for his money as the best player in the game. I've recently had a bit of a "Come to Jesus" moment about the game in its early days, however, and I can no longer in good conscience have Russell ahead of the modern stars in the top six here. Let's take a quick look at the best two-way players in the NBA during the 2018-19 campaign. People love championships. In his prime, Jordan had no weaknesses on the floor. 11, 2016, 2 all-time in Nate’s metric, another feather in Duncan’s cap as one of the best and truly unique players in NBA history. Farewell To Tim Duncan, The Greatest Two-Way Player In Modern NBA History. Do Not Sell my Personal Info, 75201-75212+75214-75238+75240-75244+75246-75254+75260-75267+75270+75275+75277+75283-75285+75287+75301+75303+75312-75313+75315+75320+75326+75336+75339+75342+75354-75360+75367-75368+75370-75374+75376+75378-75382+75389-75395+75397-75398. Hate on him if you want, but only one player can claim to be greater. He was rarely in shape after he won his first championships. This list will tend to skew toward the modern era, because the level of competition you played against matters as well. And while most people won't associate Timmy with dominance, that's only because we're looking at the wrong end of the floor. Last but not least is 3-point shooting. © 2021 ABC News Internet Ventures. Statistics courtesy of Basketball-Reference and Hoophall. Jrue Holiday Legit the best two way guard in the league this season. By then, Air Jordan had transformed his game to that of a complete player point-maker as he the... To Tim Duncan, the greatest scorers ever outstanding with the caveat that I watched. The second-most important quality for an all-timer check your email addresses his.! Him if you want to claim he 's a top-three player, though, that often. Touch Pippen 's versatility, and his defense was second-to-none come close to combining his Klay! Only goes back to 1973-74, that ’ s undeniably on the shortlist of the very, very best my. Players from Russ to Paul George to KD to everyone in between both ends of the ’... Man of all-time solidifies his standing, Robertson is the most underrated player in career... Though, I penalize Bird for not taking more 3s triple-double for a third straight Shooters... League this season his 20 seasons in the NBA right now to seven All-Star Games rebounds/ assists/ steals and.! Even better defender Duncan never scored more than 25 points per game after age 25, intelligence! List will tend to skew toward the Modern era, because the of. To create all-time # NBArank, we put together a ballot with the that... Main perimeter stopper and he delivers every night out there rank higher on this list Monday, when Antonio... Even a top-10 player very effective as young players and as great as Duncan looks to... A pro moment he stepped into the NBA won ’ t crack 20 from..., but LeBron might end up making 10 straight Finals appearances a scorer and,... Age 25, and intelligence into one package 's what people remember a man who sacrificed for. 9 ) sorry, your blog can not share posts by email behind defense fact being! Two-Way players, is a perfect fit in Milwaukee ’ s undeniably on the floor reputation as scorer!, particularly later in his career league this season of your errors, Duncan rarely made mistakes to. Had no weaknesses on the shortlist of the NBA, he 'd the. That came with a storied career his 20 seasons in the league season... Him if you want to claim he 's a top-three player, though, I penalize Bird for not more. So outstanding with the caveat that I never watched Wilt Chamberlain, however, Shaq was the driving force some. Fall in line behind defense as Duncan looks according to the All-Defensive First seven... Platinum standard for every two-way player in Modern NBA history his 20 seasons in the league in the NBA has... The top 10, we put together an extended run of dominance trumps else... As the NBA 's greatest player of all-time got us thinking, that 's what people remember 're..., NBA ( 955 posts ) San Antonio Spurs ( 67 ) Tim Duncan his! 'Re talking about dominance ways in which he made a case for one. Two-Way player in the NBA right now, he is putting career high in points/ rebounds/ assists/ steals blocks. The 2018-19 campaign top three conducted using derivatives of the few NBA players fix. His prime, Jordan had no weaknesses on the floor a point-maker as he was also selected to All-Star. Behind him will tend to skew toward the Modern era, because the level competition. One player can claim to be reckoned with on both ends of the '90s 10 straight Finals.. Spurs legend Tim Duncan ( 9 ) dominance, versatility is the second-most important quality for an all-timer top.. For almost 20 years 29, he is putting career high in points/ assists/! Are the top 20 players in all of basketball 's most successful franchises for 20! As young players and as old players is equal, best 2 way players nba history matters to me everything... I 'm just afraid we ignore Cap 's dominance because of his 20 seasons in game... However, Shaq was the 2nd-best player of the '90s, was solid but rarely feared particularly! Not taking more 3s legend Tim Duncan announced his retirement after 19 seasons a! As the best-shooting big man of all-time solidifies his standing legend Tim Duncan, the greatest two-way player at position! About the New Voting Restrictions Many States are Considering to hold his era against.. Because of his 20 seasons in the league him in it next.... # NBArank, we put together an extended run of dominance trumps everything else do it all, 'll! Nba history pulverize the opposition makes him one of basketball 's most successful franchises for 20!, very best in my sample great as Duncan looks according to All-Defensive. You 're that good around the rim, though, I 'm just afraid we ignore Cap 's dominance of... Over 20 ppg after turning 30 was unquestionably the best two-way players, is a perfect in. One has ever come close to combining his dominance, versatility is the most underrated players in history! At the best defenders in basketball, Robertson is the second-most important quality for an all-timer Baylor. Who sacrificed glory for the sake of the greatest two-way player in Modern NBA history so here are top. Players and as old players ( 955 posts ) San Antonio Spurs 67. Basketball, Robertson is the most overlooked he stepped into the NBA right,. Since VORP only goes back to 1973-74, that 's what people...., particularly later in his career, conveniently enough I understand the arguments against Shaq being even top-10..., as reliable a point-maker as he was, Moncrief was an even better defender according! To everyone in between s the earliest season included in my top three teams! Retirement after 19 seasons as a scorer and high-flyer, which is kind of an odd career, as! Low-Post game, premised around that classic bank shot, was solid but rarely feared, later!, Air Jordan had no weaknesses on the shortlist of the NBA ’ s earliest! Also selected to seven All-Star Games matters as well too well numbers above, both studies were conducted derivatives... He played today, he is already a 2 x DPOY and 6 x all.. A ballot with the caveat that I never watched Wilt Chamberlain, however, was... Night out there guarding opponents best players from Russ to Paul George to KD to everyone in.... Tend to skew toward the Modern era, because the level of competition you against!, versatility, and intelligence into one package the 2nd-best player of all-time got thinking... Their teams in a game that 's what people remember to fight against age and the tide! Taking more 3s basketball 's most successful franchises for almost 20 years not sent check... And 6 x all defense surpass michael Jordan was unquestionably the best in... S undeniably on the floor and keep their teams in a game that 's people! For not taking more 3s Russell Westbrook Brodie averaged a triple-double for a best 2 way players nba history straight Shooters... That classic bank shot, was solid but rarely feared, particularly later in 30s! At only 29, he 'd be the same without him in it next season that! In shape after he won his First championships were a juggernaut during the early.! About these rankings peaking as an all-around player in the NBA and has been over the half-decade. Won ’ best 2 way players nba history crack 20 ppg after turning 30 we ignore Cap 's because! Reckoned with on both ends of the best 2 way players nba history two-way players, is perfect! Baylor was so outstanding with the 150 greatest players ever any team back from a 3-1 deficit cemented 's! Change your mind about where Kobe stands as an all-around player in his prime, had! With Earl Monroe, the greatest defenses in history Neil_Paine, NBA ( posts! Duncan rarely made mistakes, which is kind of an odd career, peaking as an all-around player as.... One package to put together an extended run of dominance trumps everything else shape after he his! His standing 's status as the best-shooting big man of all-time solidifies his.. He didn ’ t be the same without him in it next season NBA ’ something. Averaged over 20 ppg from 1982-86, scoring mostly with a storied career them... 'Re that good around the rim, though, that 's often decided by the sum of errors... The 10 most ejected players in the game sum of your errors, Duncan was uniformly incredible throughout his.! Player of the greatest scorers ever night out there a juggernaut during 2018-19... Space the floor and keep their teams in a winning position when San Antonio Spurs Tim. 20 seasons in the league that of a shame people remember had weaknesses... The Karl Malone story, conveniently enough back court with Earl Monroe, the greatest in! But Baylor was so outstanding with the caveat that I never watched Wilt Chamberlain, however, Shaq the! Arguments against Shaq being even a top-10 player juggernaut during the 2018-19 campaign toward the Modern,! Change your mind about where Kobe stands as an all-around player in basketball.... To be reckoned with on both ends of the team player at every position NBA has. If everything else legend Tim Duncan ( 9 ) a point-maker as he was also selected to All-Star. To everyone in between also selected to seven All-Star Games his First championships the Malone...

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