I'm a huge fan of great passing. It's my favorite part of basketball, just barely edging out great defense.
Who are your all's favorite passers?
The best passers I've ever seen are Jokic, Nash, and Lebron. Magic and Bird were just slightly before my time, but I think they would round out my top 5.
457 sats \ 1 reply \ @doofus 16 Feb
Totally agree about Jokic, Nash, and LeBron being incredible passers. I'd also add Chris Paul to the modern-day greats. His court vision and precision are phenomenal. Does anyone else find that watching a brilliant passer makes the whole game more enjoyable, even if it's not your own team?
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Does anyone else find that watching a brilliant passer makes the whole game more enjoyable
Absolutely
I never think of Chris Paul as the same kind of passing artist as those other guys, but I also missed the early part off his career.
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Magic and Bird were also before my time. When it comes to passing, I immediately think of Nash and Kidd, maybe Stockton too, but I was younger and paid less attention to the NBA during Stockton's prime; I think I was just following the Vancouver Grizzlies, and then the Bulls in the playoffs during that era.
In the current era, or players that are still active, CP3, Joker, and LeBron are the lead passers for me. Although Haliburton is creeping up in the rankings; that young man could really pass!
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I almost mentioned Haliburton too. He's been really impressive, so far.
Stockton was certainly a great point guard, but I don't think he had the most audacious passes that those other guys had/have.
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128 sats \ 2 replies \ @gnilma 16 Feb
I think Stockton had volume though. Consistent passer with lots of assists.
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Very much so. Stockton was one of my favorite players when I was a kid. He was the epitome of the "floor general" concept, but he didn't make the same kind of high-leverage passes that Jokic makes or that Nash and Magic were so known for.
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128 sats \ 0 replies \ @gnilma 16 Feb
One of the greats that never got a ring. I remember seeing him, Karl Malone, and the Jazz play live against the Vancouver Grizzlies back in my early teens. Grizzlies sucked and tickets weren't selling, so they gave out free tickets to high schools. My friends and I got the tickets for a Jazz game, which was really cool. My first ever live basketball game. And of course, the Grizzlies got their asses kicked.
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Gotta go with my man Steve Nash. Oh Canada.
Magic was pretty great though.
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I was mostly checked out of basketball when Nash hit his prime. I remember being absolutely stunned when I heard he won MVP. I did catch enough of those Suns to appreciate what he could do, though.
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Those Suns teams were fun.
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