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28 sats \ 7 replies \ @grayruby 8h \ parent \ on: Has anyone ever been better at basketball than Nikola Jokic? Stacker_Sports
That's tough though because it is really only this recent era of basketball where a big man would be allowed to play the way Jokic plays so it is hard to compare. Would he be able to play this way in a different style of game or would he look even better than he does now as opponents would have no clue what to do against him.
There's a decent comparison in Bill Walton, who had similar passing ability and some range as a shooter. Obviously, they're fairly different, but if Walton's body had held up he was on track to be the best player of his era.
The other comp that comes to mind is Wilt. Once he stopped trying to score all the time, he actually started winning more and even led the league in assists one season.
So, pass first, talented scoring centers have been great in past eras. I think they're just very rare.
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No, but there also weren't threes. They both took a decent amount of midrange shots. One of Wilt's favorite shots was almost identical to Dirk's iconic one-legged fadeaway.
Wilt mostly facilitated out of the post to shooters and cutters, but Walton often orchestrated the offense from the top of the key or the elbows. Although, he mostly made sick passes from the block.
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They might have gotten to something like Brook Lopez levels of shooting, although Wilt was such a bad FT shooter it seems unlikely for him.
Jokic is on such another level, though. He's shooting from three better than Dirk, on higher volume, and he's scoring around the basket more efficiently than prime Shaq. It's really insane.