Analyzing the 10 most skilled offensive players of post-merger NBA

Analyzing the 10 most skilled offensive players of post-merger NBA originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

I love watching Anthony Edwards play, but when he claimed Michael Jordan was the only NBA player “that really had skill” prior to Kobe Bryant’s arrival in the late 1990s, he was being impetuous or ignorant. Or both.

Magic Johnson, who carefully picks and chooses his public battles, was offended enough to pour a shot of 100-proof enlightenment and hand it to Edwards.

“I never respond to a guy that’s never won a championship,” Johnson said.

Burn. There is an abundance of skill in today’s NBA, and deep shooting is better than ever. But there was plenty of skill in yesteryear’s NBA. What follows is a list of the 10 most skilled players of the league’s post-merger era, which began in 1976.

Half of those on our list were All-Stars before Kobe Bryant ever suited up.

It’s alphabetized, so no ranking. We lean heavily toward offense because, honestly, that’s where most stars are born.

The 10:

The husky 6-foot-6 power forward had a masterful handle and the goods to fill the role of small-ball center. His 54.1-percent shooting from the field on high volume is the highest among non-centers. His rebounding average (11.7) is the highest of the era among those under 6-foot-7. He had 20 triple-doubles. There is a reason he had eight top-six finishes in MVP voting and won it in 1993.

One of the most exciting technicians of any basketball era, Bird shot like the small forward he was (24.3 points on 49.6-percent shooting, including 37.6 from deep), rebounded like a power forward (10 per game) and made plays most point guards only could dream about. He averaged 6.3 assists and posted 59 triple-doubles. He won three MVP awards and finished among the top four six other times.

Shooting? Very good. Ball handling. Very good. Passing? Terrific when beneficial. Scoring ability? Off all charts. No player then or now has a deeper arsenal of ways to put the ball through the hoop. Despite his reputation of being a buckets-first player, he averaged at least five assists in 11 seasons. He wasn’t Michael Jordan, but Kobe…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/analyzing-10-most-skilled-offensive-150850669.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-08-27 15:08:50

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