Wilt Chamberlain averaged 37 and 27 as a Rookie

[miltk]

Waaay Faster pace, all centers were less then 7 feet tall, most of the other players werewhite, no charging line, less athletic, no advance defensive gameplans,

d12 would average 18-19 rpg back then,,,,as a vet

and still be a below average O threat

[Damon_3388]

Just a warning, this might be due to players being listed a little taller than they actually are now as opposed to before

As evidenced by... ?

[D.Brasco]

Just a warning, this might be due to players being listed a little taller than they actually are now as opposed to before

As evidenced by... ?

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-pre-draft-measurements/

[SunsRback4Good]

Could Wilt average 28/18 in today's game?

[Ignitowsky]

Could Wilt average 28/18 in today's game?

Wilt was a legit 7'1, one of the strongest guys ever to play the game, a great athlete, a great leaper and had great rebounding instincts. He could score from anywhere on the floor except the foul line (within 28-20 or so feet) using a variety of shots and moves. He also played insane minutes. He'd be hampered by some of the modern rules though.

Most teams wouldn't have anyone big enough to stop him down low, so he'd have a field day most nights. The same for rebounding. I think he could rebound at least what Rodman did in his prime, which was 18, and score what Shaq did in his prime, which was about 30. Something like 32 and 20 with 4 blocks and 4 assists wouldn't be impossible

[Johnlac1]

Depending on what Wilt you're talking about, the young Wilt or the vet of 30 +, the stats would be different. If he was coming out of college now, even despite looking like a twig, he could easily average 20-15-4. On a poor team (which of course is most likely the kind of team he'd get drafted by) he could averge 25-30 ppg. He had a good jump shot and sweeping hook shot in those days. He could even shoot fts at a 60% rate. His one big flaw offensively was his love of the fadeaway. If a coach stopped that and had Wilt develop a jump hook, he could have scored even more. Even the skinny Wilt was pretty strong. His skinny legs made him look thinner than he actually was. But he was a tremendous athlete with good strength, great speed, agility, spring, desire, and little remarked upon, great hands.

The Wilt of a few years later and the 50ppg and 25 rpg was stronger than the rookie Wilt, and would have no problem averaging 25-30 ppg, 15-20 rpg, and 4-5 bs per now.

As he got older he put on more muscle, he lost his ability to shoot jump shots other than a fadeaway bank shot which he shot infrequently and mostly inaccurately. But the Wilt of the '67 championship Sixers was not only the strongest player in the league, he was still very mobile despite carrying around 40-50 more pounds/muscle than his rookie year. The extra muscle weight did cut down somewhat on his quickness. That Wilt could still get in the lane for finger rolls and dunks but that was about it. No jump shots or hooks. Today that Wilt would probably average 15-18ppg, 18-20 rpg, and 4-5 bs per. And about 4-5 apg.

The Wilt most people see are the clips of Wilt from his mid-thirties when he was around 300 lbs and had lost a lot of quickness and mobility due to age, the extra weight, and having major knee problems causing him to miss most of the 69-70 season after injuring his knee and having surgery done. Young fans look at those clips and see what looks like a slow, hulking center who doesn't move very fast on offense and can't shoot. That Wilt, while still very effective, was not close to the kind of athlete Wilt was 5-10 years previous.

What version of Wilt would I choose today? Probably the Wilt who scored 50ppg one year and 44 ppg the next. That Wilt was the best combination of the offensive Wilt. That Wilt was stronger than the rookie Wilt but still exceptionally athletic. And even though while after two years he was getting stronger and losing his ability to shoot straight up jump shots, he was such a combo of strength and overall athletic ability combined with a fierce determination he'd be tough to contain today. Howard is maybe the only center who could stay with him athletically and strength-wise, and Wilt was longer than Howard. Maybe Drummond in a few years.

[Beard]

Could Wilt average 28/18 in today's game?

I really think that he could and he's been dead for over thirteen years. Just imagine what sort of stats he could put up if he was still alive, let alone, in his prime.

[druggas]

Just what center today could compete with Wilt?

[DarkSaturn]

I understand using Per 36 numbers to attempt to be able to compare players, but I'm not convinced it's correct in this case. You can never really trust Per 36 numbers to figure out how a bench player would do as a starter, since fatigue becomes more of an issue when they play more minutes, and usually more minutes against the other teams starters.

Wilt on the other hand played pretty much the whole game, so his Per 36 numbers would probably increase if he played less minutes.

[Doctor MJ]

Aside from Wilt, there were only 15 other players in the entire league in 1959-60 who were 6'9" and above, and just one other 7-footer. In Wilt's final year (1972-73), there was still just 46 players in the league 6'9" and above, and just six other 7-footers. 40 years on from Wilt's NBA retirement, there is 173 players in the league 6'9" and above, and 34 of those are 7-footers.

Not saying it was all his size, but you put someone that big with the type of athleticism and strength he had too in there against guys who are significantly smaller, and he's going to dominate regardless.

Dude, I'm not one trying to defend Wilt's performance here, but the average height has barely changed since Wilt's time. You list X number of players, but there were only 8 teams. You talk about 7 footers, but the league is dominated by guys under 7 feet even at the center position today.

It's interesting because you basically just see his impact back then as a given, which it wasn't. You underrate the quality of the players at the time and partly as a result of that you overestimate what Wilt achieved against them.

Well take the numbers I provided as averages then:

1959-60 - 2 players per team 6'9" plus
1972-73 - 2.71 players per team 6'9" plus
2012-13 - 5.77 players per team 6'9" plus

Taller players (6'9"+) are far more common in the NBA now than they were in Wilt's era, any way you slice it.

EDIT: I'm leaving my post intact, but you should probably check the next page before responding.

Basically that 4 number is totally wrong.

------------------------------------------------------------
Ha, take these averages then:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/stats.html

The average height has gone from 6'5" when Wilt entered the league, to 6'6" early in his career, and has never gone beyond 6'7".

Even if you don't buy that they measure height differently now, how is that really a huge difference? btw, they're saying height was measured differently because player's today are typically measured in their shoes which wasn't always the case. I still don't necessarily trust the numbers back then as being completely honest, so I understand skepticism, but getting back to the b-r page, it's critical to understand how developed the NBA was by the mid-60s. It was in the '40s & '50s that the game utterly transformed. In the 1930s, Tarzan Cooper was the best center and he stood 6'4". Clearly any change that's happened in the past half century is incredibly minor compared to what took place before hand.

But your specific example intrigues me so I find myself asking this:

We already know that the players by far most likely to bust in the NBA today are the bigs. Teams see a 7 footer, they draft him, and he proceeds to do nothing.

So my question is: How big of a presence do 6'9" or higher guys have in the league today?

Figure there are 150 starters in the league, so if I take the top 150 players by minutes played, I can include basically everyone who is making an impact on the league.

How many of these guys are 6'9" or taller? Sixteen.

Pause for a second.

By your numbers there are over 5 guys per team 6'9" or taller, however basically 9 out of 10 of those guys ride the bench. The bench in the NBA is taller than the meaningful core...because everyone thinks they need tall guys, they draft them, and for the most part, they suck.

The league is thus taller than it should be now based on these types of measurements...and still only an inch taller than when Wilt played.

One other number to note. I use 6'9" as the cutoff because you did. What if I up it just one more inch.

The number of players in the NBA playing starter-level minutes who are taller than 6'9" is...

FOUR.

[J~Rush]

The number of players in the NBA playing starter-level minutes who are taller than 6'9" is...

FOUR.

How did you only count 4? From this list: http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/playe ... avgMinutes

First 80:
Noah, Aldridge, Bosh, Jefferson, Chandler, Vucevic, Ibaka, Monroe, Gortat Cousins, Anderson, Pekovic, Duncan

[Doctor MJ]

The number of players in the NBA playing starter-level minutes who are taller than 6'9" is...

FOUR.

How did you only count 4? From this list: http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/playe ... avgMinutes

First 80:
Noah, Aldridge, Bosh, Jefferson, Chandler, Vucevic, Ibaka, Monroe, Gortat Cousins, Anderson, Pekovic, Duncan

Oh for crying out loud.

b-r's sorting mechanism is stupid, and I didn't think enough about it before taking the number it gave me.

Thank you for correcting me.

[Never Wrong]

32 FGA and 14 FTA

That's a crapload of possessions he used per game.

[GetItDone]

Mickey Mouse Era of basketball.

[Damon_3388]

Just a warning, this might be due to players being listed a little taller than they actually are now as opposed to before

As evidenced by... ?

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-pre-draft-measurements/

What I'm saying is, what evidence is there that players were measured barefoot only back in Wilt's day? Until you can provide evidence that proves it, it's just hearsay that suits a particular argument.

EDIT: I'm leaving my post intact, but you should probably check the next page before responding.

Basically that 4 number is totally wrong.

------------------------------------------------------------
Ha, take these averages then:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/stats.html

The average height has gone from 6'5" when Wilt entered the league, to 6'6" early in his career, and has never gone beyond 6'7".

Even if you don't buy that they measure height differently now, how is that really a huge difference? btw, they're saying height was measured differently because player's today are typically measured in their shoes which wasn't always the case. I still don't necessarily trust the numbers back then as being completely honest, so I understand skepticism, but getting back to the b-r page, it's critical to understand how developed the NBA was by the mid-60s. It was in the '40s & '50s that the game utterly transformed. In the 1930s, Tarzan Cooper was the best center and he stood 6'4". Clearly any change that's happened in the past half century is incredibly minor compared to what took place before hand.

But your specific example intrigues me so I find myself asking this:

We already know that the players by far most likely to bust in the NBA today are the bigs. Teams see a 7 footer, they draft him, and he proceeds to do nothing.

So my question is: How big of a presence do 6'9" or higher guys have in the league today?

Figure there are 150 starters in the league, so if I take the top 150 players by minutes played, I can include basically everyone who is making an impact on the league.

How many of these guys are 6'9" or taller? Sixteen.

Pause for a second.

By your numbers there are over 5 guys per team 6'9" or taller, however basically 9 out of 10 of those guys ride the bench. The bench in the NBA is taller than the meaningful core...because everyone thinks they need tall guys, they draft them, and for the most part, they suck.

The league is thus taller than it should be now based on these types of measurements...and still only an inch taller than when Wilt played.

One other number to note. I use 6'9" as the cutoff because you did. What if I up it just one more inch.

The number of players in the NBA playing starter-level minutes who are taller than 6'9" is...

FOUR.

Teams have a higher number of players who could (in theory) physically compete with Wilt now than they did during his era. Whether they have the basketball skill is another question, but I'd think 6'9"+ guys from the current era would present more of a physical challenge to The Big Dipper than guys did back in the '60s. You've basically got more guys to throw at him now. Back in the day, if he beat your one big guy (over which he more often than not had a significant size advantage already), you were done for.

[tmallory]

Wilt played Russell in 142 games. He averaged 28.7 pts and 28.7 rebounds.


Praise be to the most high.

let Wilt eat, win chips. praise be to the most high

[tmallory]

Wilt also averaged 50pts 25rbs in 48.5 minutes (yes) in a season once - and didn't get MVP. Nor did Oscar Robinson who averaged a triple-double (yes) that year.

[Darain]

Wilt also averaged 50pts 25rbs in 48.5 minutes (yes) in a season once - and didn't get MVP. Nor did Oscar Robinson who averaged a triple-double (yes) that year.

Tough to be in a league where Bill Russell dominates you

[Johnlac1]

Wilt also averaged 50pts 25rbs in 48.5 minutes (yes) in a season once - and didn't get MVP. Nor did Oscar Robinson who averaged a triple-double (yes) that year.

Tough to be in a league where Bill Russell dominates you

Except Russell never dominated him. In fact, in Wilt's rookie year in the playoff, Wilt took Philly to six games against a superior Boston team. Wilt averaged over thirty ppg and had games of 50 and 42 pts. Boston played a little dirty and Tom Heinsohn (yes, that Tom Heinsohn) provoked Wilt into throwing a punch which landed on Heinsohn's head and injured Wilt's shooting hand. Wilt could barely shoot for two game both of which Philly lost. Boston only won the sixth game by two points on a last second shot. Would have been interesting if Wilt had not gotten hurt. Boston was the better team, but there's no way Russell dominated Wilt. Ever.

[Devilzsidewalk]

Wilt shot Under 50% in several seasons....


I think his Era is overrated.

yea but the hand checking he had to endure!