OT: Is Jokic the best offensive "big man" ever?

[aTotal360]

He's a triple-double machine. Just dropped 34-21-14 on the Lakers. 3-3 from 3pt.

Hard to equate Wilt when he's playing against accountants and plumbers. The Admiral, Hakeem, and Kareem are the 3 that I would put on the same level. Shaq was just brute force and was a liability at the stripe.

I think Jokic is the most skilled big man ever.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

Note: Officially Unofficial.

Blocks and Steals didn’t become official stats until the mid-70s.

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

I don't keep up with the NBA, but I saw some stuff about the kid from France that is going to be the #1 pick. Holy shiit. 7'5 guard. Unreal athlete.

 

[dorndawg]

He's a triple-double machine. Just dropped 34-21-14 on the Lakers. 3-3 from 3pt.

Hard to equate Wilt when he's playing against accountants and plumbers. The Admiral, Hakeem, and Kareem are the 3 that I would put on the same level. Shaq was just brute force and was a liability at the stripe.

I think Jokic is the most skilled big man ever.

He's real good but if you did a start-up NBA draft today would you take him over Giannis? Joker is fun to watch and if you're saying just the range of skills, yes it's amazing. If you're saying best big man and the things we normally think of basketball big men doing (scoring in paint, rebounding, blocking shots), then no.

 

[OopsICroomedmypants]

I don’t know much about today’s NBA, but it would seem Wilt was the most athletic big man ever and it’s not close. Best scorer? Maybe. He’d always be my first pick. Young Larry Bird at 6’9-10” might be my #2 pick.

 

[mstateglfr]

How would Chamberlain do in today's NBA? I am confident he would not average the goofy numbers he pulled down in the 60s like 27rpg average.
Same goes for Bill Russell- what he averaged in the 50s and 60s for rebounds is not what he would grab today. Nope, no chance.
Their RPG averages are inflated compared to what they could pull down today. Or reversed, the best statistical rebounders in today's game would have numbers double what they actually have if they played 60 years ago.

Its not like people no longer know how to rebound and those two guys magically managed to average more than double what Anthony Davis, Steven Adams, or Jokic average.

Chamberlain averaged over 50ppg in 61-62. I mean come on, over 50ppg? That shows he is either the greatest player of all time without anyone even close, or it shows the game back then was a joke due to Chamberlain playing against a bunch of SPS level chumps.
...reality is somewhere between those two possibilities, but there were clearly a lot of SPS level guys in the league 60 years ago.

Also worth noting- the Philly Warriors back in that 61-62 season averaged 74.2 rebounds per game. 74.2!
The entire game now is different from what they played back then. Stats just cant be evenly compared.

 

[mstateglfr]

He's real good but if you did a start-up NBA draft today would you take him over Giannis? Joker is fun to watch and if you're saying just the range of skills, yes it's amazing. If you're saying best big man and the things we normally think of basketball big men doing (scoring in paint, rebounding, blocking shots), then no.

When Curry burst onto the scene, a lot was written and discussed about how refreshing it was to see someone dominate the game who wasnt an athletic god. It gave little guys hope and freed them up to launch even more terrible shots from anywhere on the court during pickup games.

I view Jokic as that type of player for doughy big guys that camp in the paint at the Y. He gives them hope. He gives them permission to not be athletically overpowering and instead be proud of their old man Y moves and use of angles.

Porzingis may be called 'the unicorn', but Jokic's ability to get the numbers he gets with his size is more impressive to me.
...and yet, the athleticism of Giannis and others is still quite the draw and would be more appealing in many ways!

 

[POTUS]

He's real good but if you did a start-up NBA draft today would you take him over Giannis?

100% Yes. Every player you draft afterwards will be better on a team with Jokic than they would be with Giannis. Giannis is probably the better player individually, but Jokic raises the level of everyone on his team. He's going to get a lot of Nuggets overpaid in free agency by other teams who will be disappointed that the player they signed is not quite as good on a team without Jokic. He is an amazing player.

 

[Dawgzilla2]

I don’t know much about today’s NBA, but it would seem Wilt was the most athletic big man ever and it’s not close. Best scorer? Maybe. He’d always be my first pick. Young Larry Bird at 6’9-10” might be my #2 pick.

I would take Russell over Chamberlain because I want my team to win.

 

[OopsICroomedmypants]

I would take Russell over Chamberlain because I want my team to win.

As a Celtics fan I can appreciate that.