Educate Me: Clyde Drexler

[Prokorov]

clearly you're just looking at stats without taking context into consideration. I feel like that has to be done with Drexler if anybody, because he could fill up the stat sheet very easily but not necessarily come through when it mattered. Drexler was possibly the greatest transition player of all-time. he used to have 30+ pt games on fastbreaks alone. but he was quite bad in the HCO for a superstar. he wasn't even the best HCO player on those Portland teams (that would be Terry Porter by far). Drexler had many flaws in the HCO. he was a mediocre ballhandler. he didn't really have outside game because of that inconsistent jumpshot. he played extremely well off the ball and was a very underrated passer, but his limited scoring/shooting skills made him kinda useless as a guy you would run your offense through in the postseason. his points came from putbacks, backcuts, transition, getting to the line.

for example, he was nowhere near Penny Hardaway in terms of HCO. I know people will point out to his numbers in the '95 finals, but Drexler was scoring tons of points in transition because of how many turnovers Horry and Olajuwon forced on the Magic. he also had it easy in the HCO because of how much attention Hakeem demanded in the post, so that Drexler could just finish. there were also times when Hakeem was standing on the weak side with Shaq covering him, and Drexler just abused Magic on mismatches while driving/posting up. so Drexler was a great guy to play 2nd fiddle because he could get a lot of points without running a ton of plays through him, but at the same time you had to remember that running plays through him is not exactly what you would wanna do to begin with. he could post-up smaller guards, he could drive by weaker defenders, he could abuse you when given space to get inside, but he wasn't a guy who could create something out of nothing a la Kobe Bryant or even somebody like Brandon Roy.

Great assessment. This is the real value of forums...having access to insightful analysis beyond the data. Drexler was great, but if he could take over a game like Jordan, Bird, Lebron, Magic, Portland could have at least extended the series against the Bulls...in game 6 they had a great lead starting 4th quarter...but didn't have an player who could create something by himself to gain some relief when Bulls started gainning steam.

The same applies to Ray Allen vs Reggie Miller...the numbers and game 6 finals (2013) make people place Ray above Reggie...but only someone who actually watched games, remember how Allen couldn't score after game 2 in 2010 finals....or how Miller raised his game against Bulls in 1998, even playing injured and being guarded by Michael Jordan.

Drexler COULD and often DID take over games.... and getting to 6 games vs. jordan's bulls is hardly a knock on him or those portlant teams. Drexler took over games and changed the pace of how it could be played. he didnt do it in the half court, but that doesnt change the fact that he did it...

i'd compare it to playing on defense in football, and lining up across from someone like randy moss. sure he isnt going to kill you with precise routes or underneath stuff, but he has you on your heels before the ball is even snapped because you know if you make one false move its an easy score against you...

clyde was similar... take a bad shot, make a bad pass, take a second off, and its going to be 2 points the other way... and everyone is on their heels because of it.

And that is the one thing that doesnt show up in the boxscores. which is why guys like barkley, kidd, drexler, are so criminally underrated.

With some elite scorers you can say ok... im gonna play him straight up, let him get his 35 points, stop everyone else and try and win that way. you cant do that with guys who dominante in the full court.

[Nbafanatic]

A stud player basically the equivalent of peak Tmac

I agree that Drexler was great, but peak T-Mac? That would basically make him as good as peak Kobe and Wade, because 2003 McGrady was really on the level of peak Wade and Kobe. You can probably add Durant to that group, too. 2003 Tracy was in that super elite, 30+/6/5, 30 PER club.

'92 Drexler was probably as good as any of T-Mac's seasons EXCEPT 2003 (that was an outlier season for McGrady, one he never came close to, before or after that).

Prime Drexler was a more dominant and better player the prime t-mac. good enough to be the best player on a finals/championship calibur team.

McGrady was an excellent player, but he wasnt on clydes level. his scoring and efficiency didnt translate as great as it looks in the boxscores. and mcgrady never dominated the pace of the game.[\quote]


Clyde was never as good as peak T-Mac. T-Mac from 2005 to 2007 is a wash with 89-92 Drexler. You also sound in your other post as if Drexler was like Lebron 2009 or 87 worthy in transition, he was good, but not that amazing in the open court. Drexler was one of those guys who was good or very good in almost everything, but he wasn't really great at anything, maybe only rebounding, for a guard.

[Prokorov]

I agree that Drexler was great, but peak T-Mac? That would basically make him as good as peak Kobe and Wade, because 2003 McGrady was really on the level of peak Wade and Kobe. You can probably add Durant to that group, too. 2003 Tracy was in that super elite, 30+/6/5, 30 PER club.

'92 Drexler was probably as good as any of T-Mac's seasons EXCEPT 2003 (that was an outlier season for McGrady, one he never came close to, before or after that).

Prime Drexler was a more dominant and better player the prime t-mac. good enough to be the best player on a finals/championship calibur team.

McGrady was an excellent player, but he wasnt on clydes level. his scoring and efficiency didnt translate as great as it looks in the boxscores. and mcgrady never dominated the pace of the game.[\quote]


Clyde was never as good as peak T-Mac. T-Mac from 2005 to 2007 is a wash with 89-92 Drexler. You also sound in your other post as if Drexler was like Lebron 2009 or 87 worthy in transition, he was good, but not that amazing in the open court. Drexler was one of those guys who was good or very good in almost everything, but he wasn't really great at anything, maybe only rebounding, for a guard.

prime drexler was certainly better then prime t-mac. and again, with drexler, it wasnt about being good in transition... it was about being good FORCING transition. the rebounding you mentioned, the speed, the live ball turnovers he'd force, and then the ability to go end to end and finish.

he put opponents on their heels from the opening tip. there is extreme value to that that doesnt show up on the stat sheet.

[Arsilva]

Great assessment. This is the real value of forums...having access to insightful analysis beyond the data. Drexler was great, but if he could take over a game like Jordan, Bird, Lebron, Magic, Portland could have at least extended the series against the Bulls...in game 6 they had a great lead starting 4th quarter...but didn't have an player who could create something by himself to gain some relief when Bulls started gainning steam.

The same applies to Ray Allen vs Reggie Miller...the numbers and game 6 finals (2013) make people place Ray above Reggie...but only someone who actually watched games, remember how Allen couldn't score after game 2 in 2010 finals....or how Miller raised his game against Bulls in 1998, even playing injured and being guarded by Michael Jordan.

Drexler COULD and often DID take over games.... and getting to 6 games vs. jordan's bulls is hardly a knock on him or those portlant teams. Drexler took over games and changed the pace of how it could be played. he didnt do it in the half court, but that doesnt change the fact that he did it...

i'd compare it to playing on defense in football, and lining up across from someone like randy moss. sure he isnt going to kill you with precise routes or underneath stuff, but he has you on your heels before the ball is even snapped because you know if you make one false move its an easy score against you...

clyde was similar... take a bad shot, make a bad pass, take a second off, and its going to be 2 points the other way... and everyone is on their heels because of it.

And that is the one thing that doesnt show up in the boxscores. which is why guys like barkley, kidd, drexler, are so criminally underrated.

With some elite scorers you can say ok... im gonna play him straight up, let him get his 35 points, stop everyone else and try and win that way. you cant do that with guys who dominante in the full court.

By definition, a dominant player imposes his will, regardless who or which team he is playing against....as a team goes deeper in playoffs, the fast break opportunities decreases...great teams like Spurs or Jordan's Bulls don't turn the ball over as a second roud playoff team.

So, a dominant player should have resources to affect the game when his primary weapon is weakened by the circumstances....like Lebron, who gained respect as a dominant force only after developing his post game, against OKC in 2012 finals.

Not saying Clyde couldn't dominate a game deep in playoffs...but his impact was severly mitigated by lowering turnovers and cloggind driving and passing lanes, like a team with Pippen, Grant, Jordan (players with outstanding wingspan and foot speed) could do.

Clyde Drexler surely deserves being in HOF. But he is a 1B HOF. 1A would be players with multiples MVPs, who imposed and increase his game in NBA finals, like Bird, Magic, Lebron (from 2012 on), Jordan, Duncan, Shaq, Dirk, Hakeem and other 1A legends.

[Prokorov]

By definition, a dominant player imposes his will, regardless who or which team he is playing against....as a team goes deeper in playoffs, the fast break opportunities decreases...great teams like Spurs or Jordan's Bulls don't turn the ball over as a second roud playoff team.

So, a dominant player should have resources to affect the game when his primary weapon is weakened by the circumstances....like Lebron, who gained respect as a dominant force only after developing his post game, against OKC in 2012 finals.

but thats just it.... it should decrease the pace fo the game, but with guys like drexler and barkely, they were still able to get out and running deep into the playoffs. they forced a run game. and they were able to do it even in the playoffs and when defenses stiffened up... which is what made them so good.

Clyde Drexler surely deserves being in HOF. But he is a 1B HOF. 1A would be players with multiples MVPs, who imposed and increase his game in NBA finals, like Bird, Magic, Lebron (from 2012 on), Jordan, Duncan, Shaq, Dirk, Hakeem and other 1A legends.

i agree, he oviouslt isnt magic jordan or larry. but i never said he was. i said he was better the tmac, which is most certainly the case imo

[BenoUdrihFTL]

Drexler wasnt a guy who excelled in transition... drexler was a guy who forced you into a transition game. Similar to Jason Kidd and Charles barkley. Those guys were just 1 man fast breaks. Drexler is one of the greatest athletes of all time... he was like a faster version of wade. every just seemed to be moving a step slower.

One of the things that gets lost once years go by, is just how much impact a guy has by forcing a transition game. when you watch the games, you can see the impact, when you look back at the stats, you dont really get the "feel" of how they changed how those games were played... im certain this will happen to kidd as well, as his advanced stats dont match his impact... yet if you watched his early days on the nets, you know the kind of impact he had on games.

Drexler was similar to that... and it put alot of pressure on offenses to take good shots and not turn it over... knowing that if they did it was going to be an easy 2 the other way. And when you play with someone like clyde, it makes you want to run the floor and you kind of take on that persona. (something also overlooked... someone who forces transition i think is more likely to get his teammates running an in to it as opposed to a super efficient half court scorer, who while playing great ball is less likely to have his teammates get into the flow. Think brook lopez for instance)

He was a tough player... he wasnt useless in the half court either, he was umtempo in the half court as well. he had a solid mid range game, and really had good chemistry in that offense. it was never "iso for clyde and everyone watch". those blazers teams really moved the ball well both in and out of transition.

I think the one thing to Take away from Drexler's career was how he put opponents on edge... they knew he wanted to run, and they didnt want to play that kind of game, yet drexler was always able to make it a track meet

Upon being introduced to the NBA as a child, Drexler was my first ever "favorite player", so my opinions itt are going to be biased. But this description of Drexler's game is tremendous. Like you said, the ability to impose a full-court transition game is a significant aspect of NBA basketball that cannot be found in individual stats. Drexler remains one of the few greyhounds in NBA history who could (vs any team in any era) outrun entire defenses to all at once: grab the defensive reb or create a turnover --> initiate the fast break --> lead the fast break --> finish the fast break.

Overall, I consider Drexler a poor man's LeBron James, with Drexler being superior in the open court while James is the better halfcourt offensive player.

[BenoUdrihFTL]

Great assessment. This is the real value of forums...having access to insightful analysis beyond the data. Drexler was great, but if he could take over a game like Jordan, Bird, Lebron, Magic, Portland could have at least extended the series against the Bulls...in game 6 they had a great lead starting 4th quarter...but didn't have an player who could create something by himself to gain some relief when Bulls started gainning steam.

The same applies to Ray Allen vs Reggie Miller...the numbers and game 6 finals (2013) make people place Ray above Reggie...but only someone who actually watched games, remember how Allen couldn't score after game 2 in 2010 finals....or how Miller raised his game against Bulls in 1998, even playing injured and being guarded by Michael Jordan.

Drexler COULD and often DID take over games.... and getting to 6 games vs. jordan's bulls is hardly a knock on him or those portlant teams. Drexler took over games and changed the pace of how it could be played. he didnt do it in the half court, but that doesnt change the fact that he did it...

i'd compare it to playing on defense in football, and lining up across from someone like randy moss. sure he isnt going to kill you with precise routes or underneath stuff, but he has you on your heels before the ball is even snapped because you know if you make one false move its an easy score against you...

clyde was similar... take a bad shot, make a bad pass, take a second off, and its going to be 2 points the other way... and everyone is on their heels because of it.

And that is the one thing that doesnt show up in the boxscores. which is why guys like barkley, kidd, drexler, are so criminally underrated.

With some elite scorers you can say ok... im gonna play him straight up, let him get his 35 points, stop everyone else and try and win that way. you cant do that with guys who dominante in the full court.

By definition, a dominant player imposes his will, regardless who or which team he is playing against....as a team goes deeper in playoffs, the fast break opportunities decreases...great teams like Spurs or Jordan's Bulls don't turn the ball over as a second roud playoff team.

So, a dominant player should have resources to affect the game when his primary weapon is weakened by the circumstances....like Lebron, who gained respect as a dominant force only after developing his post game, against OKC in 2012 finals.

Not saying Clyde couldn't dominate a game deep in playoffs...but his impact was severly mitigated by lowering turnovers and cloggind driving and passing lanes, like a team with Pippen, Grant, Jordan (players with outstanding wingspan and foot speed) could do.

Clyde Drexler surely deserves being in HOF. But he is a 1B HOF. 1A would be players with multiples MVPs, who imposed and increase his game in NBA finals, like Bird, Magic, Lebron (from 2012 on), Jordan, Duncan, Shaq, Dirk, Hakeem and other 1A legends.

The Finals is as deep as you can go in the playoffs and Drexler's performance vs Detroit in the 1990 Finals has already been posted. 118 ORtg. Put up a 113 ORtg vs Chicago in '92 then a 126 ORtg vs Orlando in the '95 Finals. I'd say that's a pretty dominant track record for Clyde in the Finals.

Assuming you could play so efficient on offense as to take away Clyde's transition game, you would still have to deal with his post game. On a team with peak Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler was still so effective in the post that he actually led the '95 Rockets in playoff Win Shares and WS/48.

This clip from the '95 Finals really shows off his entire game but @ 5.24 is just vintage Drexler:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht8gYFO_Jlk[/youtube]

More from that series:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAgM-5gtr9c[/youtube]

Drexler lighting up Joe Dumars and the Bad Boys Pistons in the '90 Finals:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MoSw5DD_Cg[/youtube]

[Warspite]

For a guy who was as bad in the half court as Bastillon says I never saw anyone draw as many double and triple teams as Drexler. Terry Porter owes his career to him. The guy could shoot but I never saw anyone ever guarding him.

Drexler was what Raptor fans wished VC would have turned into. If you imagine a taller, stronger, more athletic Wade with much better passing and outside shooting you have Clyde Drexler.

[Zasterror]

For a guy who was as bad in the half court as Bastillon says I never saw anyone draw as many double and triple teams as Drexler. Terry Porter owes his career to him. The guy could shoot but I never saw anyone ever guarding him.

Drexler was what Raptor fans wished VC would have turned into. If you imagine a taller, stronger, more athletic Wade with much better passing and outside shooting you have Clyde Drexler.

Just curious, based off what you've listed, do you think Drexler is a better individual player than Wade(not counting accolades)?

[Arsilva]

Drexler COULD and often DID take over games.... and getting to 6 games vs. jordan's bulls is hardly a knock on him or those portlant teams. Drexler took over games and changed the pace of how it could be played. he didnt do it in the half court, but that doesnt change the fact that he did it...

i'd compare it to playing on defense in football, and lining up across from someone like randy moss. sure he isnt going to kill you with precise routes or underneath stuff, but he has you on your heels before the ball is even snapped because you know if you make one false move its an easy score against you...

clyde was similar... take a bad shot, make a bad pass, take a second off, and its going to be 2 points the other way... and everyone is on their heels because of it.

And that is the one thing that doesnt show up in the boxscores. which is why guys like barkley, kidd, drexler, are so criminally underrated.

With some elite scorers you can say ok... im gonna play him straight up, let him get his 35 points, stop everyone else and try and win that way. you cant do that with guys who dominante in the full court.

By definition, a dominant player imposes his will, regardless who or which team he is playing against....as a team goes deeper in playoffs, the fast break opportunities decreases...great teams like Spurs or Jordan's Bulls don't turn the ball over as a second roud playoff team.

So, a dominant player should have resources to affect the game when his primary weapon is weakened by the circumstances....like Lebron, who gained respect as a dominant force only after developing his post game, against OKC in 2012 finals.

Not saying Clyde couldn't dominate a game deep in playoffs...but his impact was severly mitigated by lowering turnovers and cloggind driving and passing lanes, like a team with Pippen, Grant, Jordan (players with outstanding wingspan and foot speed) could do.

Clyde Drexler surely deserves being in HOF. But he is a 1B HOF. 1A would be players with multiples MVPs, who imposed and increase his game in NBA finals, like Bird, Magic, Lebron (from 2012 on), Jordan, Duncan, Shaq, Dirk, Hakeem and other 1A legends.

The Finals is as deep as you can go in the playoffs and Drexler's performance vs Detroit in the 1990 Finals has already been posted. 118 ORtg. Put up a 113 ORtg vs Chicago in '92 then a 126 ORtg vs Orlando in the '95 Finals. I'd say that's a pretty dominant track record for Clyde in the Finals.

Assuming you could play so efficient on offense as to take away Clyde's transition game, you would still have to deal with his post game. On a team with peak Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler was still so effective in the post that he actually led the '95 Rockets in playoff Win Shares and WS/48.

This clip from the '95 Finals really shows off his entire game but @ 5.24 is just vintage Drexler:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht8gYFO_Jlk[/youtube]

More from that series:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAgM-5gtr9c[/youtube]

Drexler lighting up Joe Dumars and the Bad Boys Pistons in the '90 Finals:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MoSw5DD_Cg[/youtube]

I'm very enthusiastic about advanced statistic...but it never will replace the importance of having watched the games, particularly in real time. ORtg is importante, but the cirmcunstances have to be factored in.

For example, in Olympics Argentina let Brazil's point guard, Marcelinho Huertas, score at will, choosing to shut down our big man, namely, Nenê, Varejão and Splitter. So, Marcelinho ORtg was high, but largely due to Argentina's game plan.

I didn't watch the finals against Detroit...but watched against Bulls (I was 11 years old at that time)...in Game two, Portland was trailing untill Clyde fouled out....so Ainge lead the turnaround. This and the very disapointing perfomance in the fouth quarter of game 6 made me come to the conclusion that Drexler is not in the same echelon of a 1A Hof.

In a fourth quarter I'd prefer having a more resourceful player, like Ginobili, Penny Hardaway or Paul Pierce. Clyde was great, but wasn't a closer.

[ZombieKilla]

People are seriously underrating Drexler here. If you think Drexler wasn't as good as McGrady, you don't know anything about basketball.

His all-around game was probably better than any SG in the history of the league, not named Jordan.

Top 3-5 SG of all time, depending where you rank Jerry West and Wade. Personally I would rank Drexler over Wade,

[Quotatious]

McGrady vs Drexler is an interesting debate. I'd say that peak (2002-03 season) T-Mac was definitely better than any version of Glide. That season is very comparable to Wade's and Kobe's peaks, so definitely above Drexler's. 1988-92 Drexler vs other seasons of T-Mac is a very close comparison. Drexler was typically the more efficient scorer (but his usage was lower, and he played on a much stronger team).
T-Mac's playmaking looks better (higher AST%, lower TOV%, Drexler was better defensively (but the fact that he played on a much better team has a lot to do with that, allowed his give much more consistent effort on that end of the floor).

I'll say this - T-Mac definitely peaked higher, primes (let's say top 5 consecutive seasons) are very close (well, comparing 88-92 Drexler and 01-05 McGrady, maybe T-Mac gets a slight edge because of his '03 season being a part of that stretch, but I'm not sure) , Drexler definitely had the better career, stayed healthy much longer, and played at All-Star level for about 14 seasons, compared to just 8 for McGrady. About 40000 combined RS and PS minutes for Drexler, to just about 25000 for McGrady. Clyde is much more proven (in terms of games and minutes played, and deep in the postseason, considering that T-Mac never made it past the first round in his prime...but he often played really well in first round matchups - 2002, 2003, 2005, were all excellent playoff showings)

I'd rank Drexler around 30-35 and McGrady around 45 or so. Maybe 45-50. That's because longevity really matters for me, but prime vs prime, T-Mac has a pretty good argument, and he's clearly better peak vs peak.

[Warspite]

For a guy who was as bad in the half court as Bastillon says I never saw anyone draw as many double and triple teams as Drexler. Terry Porter owes his career to him. The guy could shoot but I never saw anyone ever guarding him.

Drexler was what Raptor fans wished VC would have turned into. If you imagine a taller, stronger, more athletic Wade with much better passing and outside shooting you have Clyde Drexler.

Just curious, based off what you've listed, do you think Drexler is a better individual player than Wade(not counting accolades)?

If we move Drexler to the current rules set he improves dramatically and if we move Wade to Drexlers era he looks worse. Drexlers biggest weakness gets covered in todays rules while Wade finds himself playing in a slower more halfcourt era with much better individual defenders, more athletic def big men and much more physical play.

I believe its pretty easy to believe that if you switch them Drexler looks much better and IMHO there is a case to be made that if you put them in the same era Drexler is the better player. I have no doubt in my mind that if you saw them both in the gym that you would rather have Drexler on your team.

[Quotatious]

Drexlers biggest weakness gets covered in todays rules while Wade finds himself playing in a slower more halfcourt era with much better individual defenders, more athletic def big men and much more physical play.

The era when Drexler was in his prime was actually more fast-paced than Wade's era.

League average pace during their best seasons:

Wade's era:

2012 - 91.3
2011 - 92.1
2010 - 92.7
2009 - 91.7
2008 - 92.4
2007 - 91.9
2006 - 90.5
2005 - 90.9

Drexler's era:

1995 - 92.9
1994 - 95.1
1993 - 96.8
1992 - 96.6
1991 - 97.8
1990 - 98.3
1989 - 100.6
1988 - 99.6
1987 - 100.8

You can also take a look at their numbers per 100 possessions:

1988-92 (true prime) Drexler: 31.6 points/8.8 rebounds/7.7 assists/2.8 steals

06-11 (true prime) Wade (but obviously he played just 51 games in both 2007 and 2008): 38.0 points/7.4 rebounds/9.2 assists/2.7 steals

Wade's efficiency is a bit higher, too.

[tsherkin]

Also, Wade is a phenomenal ball handler and dribble penetrator who works the PnR vey well and Glyde was a lot worse in HCO than in transition...

[Quotatious]

Also, Wade is a phenomenal ball handler and dribble penetrator who works the PnR vey well and Glyde was a lot worse in HCO than in transition...

Yeah, I think that's the biggest difference between these two guys.

[BenoUdrihFTL]

I'm very enthusiastic about advanced statistic...but it never will replace the importance of having watched the games, particularly in real time. ORtg is importante, but the cirmcunstances have to be factored in.

For example, in Olympics Argentina let Brazil's point guard, Marcelinho Huertas, score at will, choosing to shut down our big man, namely, Nenê, Varejão and Splitter. So, Marcelinho ORtg was high, but largely due to Argentina's game plan.

I didn't watch the finals against Detroit...but watched against Bulls (I was 11 years old at that time)...in Game two, Portland was trailing untill Clyde fouled out....so Ainge lead the turnaround. This and the very disapointing perfomance in the fouth quarter of game 6 made me come to the conclusion that Drexler is not in the same echelon of a 1A Hof.

In a fourth quarter I'd prefer having a more resourceful player, like Ginobili, Penny Hardaway or Paul Pierce. Clyde was great, but wasn't a closer.

tbf Drexler was going H2H vs the peak prime greatest player in NBA history. If that wasn't daunting enough, MJ had the luxury of taking breathers on D and letting perhaps the greatest perimeter defender in NBA history switch onto Clyde. In any case, two games shouldn't define Drexler's HOF career and his ability as a big game go-to player. Hell one of the games wasn't even a bad game, Ainge just so happened to go on a historic hot streak after Drexler fouled out -- but it's not like Drexler was holding the team back. Especially not in the Blazers' other series win Game 4 when Drexler stripped Jordan and scored on the other end to give Portland it's first lead of the game with just minutes remaining in the 4th.

I'm content to agree to disagree about Drexler, but just a few parting points:

Resourceful and clever are actually great adjectives to use to describe Drexler's game on both ends of the floor. How else would anyone explain how he consistently managed to post 30+ point playoff games throughout his career despite apparently not having a halfcourt offensive skillset? Those clips I posted earlier show Drexler stepping up and making huge 4th quarter plays to take control of and close out NBA Finals games.

Matt Guokas in the first clip as Drexler is single-handedly running Orlando out of the building late 4th qtr: "Clyde Drexler at both ends of the floor, getting the loose balls, getting the rebounds, taking the ball out of the backcourt and finishing with fury!"

Bill Walton in the second clip as Drexler is leading Houston's second-half rally to seize control of the game: "He (Shaq) wants this ball but Clyde Drexler, this guy will not be shut down, he knows Hakeem is not having the typical easy day so he goes 'Hey, no problem.'"

[Zasterror]

Drexlers biggest weakness gets covered in todays rules while Wade finds himself playing in a slower more halfcourt era with much better individual defenders, more athletic def big men and much more physical play.

The era when Drexler was in his prime was actually more fast-paced than Wade's era.

League average pace during their best seasons:

Wade's era:

2012 - 91.3
2011 - 92.1
2010 - 92.7
2009 - 91.7
2008 - 92.4
2007 - 91.9
2006 - 90.5
2005 - 90.9

Drexler's era:

1995 - 92.9
1994 - 95.1
1993 - 96.8
1992 - 96.6
1991 - 97.8
1990 - 98.3
1989 - 100.6
1988 - 99.6
1987 - 100.8

You can also take a look at their numbers per 100 possessions:

1988-92 (true prime) Drexler: 31.6 points/8.8 rebounds/7.7 assists/2.8 steals

06-11 (true prime) Wade (but obviously he played just 51 games in both 2007 and 2008): 38.0 points/7.4 rebounds/9.2 assists/2.7 steals

Wade's efficiency is a bit higher, too.

Not to mention that Wade's peak years is when his team was among the slowest teams in terms of pace; 08-09 Heat was 89.9 (22nd out of 30) and 09-10 Heat was 89.6 (28th out of 30).

Wade shown that he excels in slower pace teams and era, just imagine what he could had been like in fast-paced team/era.

[Modulate]

Drexler wasnt a guy who excelled in transition... drexler was a guy who forced you into a transition game. Similar to Jason Kidd and Charles barkley. Those guys were just 1 man fast breaks. Drexler is one of the greatest athletes of all time... he was like a faster version of wade. every just seemed to be moving a step slower.

One of the things that gets lost once years go by, is just how much impact a guy has by forcing a transition game. when you watch the games, you can see the impact, when you look back at the stats, you dont really get the "feel" of how they changed how those games were played... im certain this will happen to kidd as well, as his advanced stats dont match his impact... yet if you watched his early days on the nets, you know the kind of impact he had on games.

Drexler was similar to that... and it put alot of pressure on offenses to take good shots and not turn it over... knowing that if they did it was going to be an easy 2 the other way. And when you play with someone like clyde, it makes you want to run the floor and you kind of take on that persona. (something also overlooked... someone who forces transition i think is more likely to get his teammates running an in to it as opposed to a super efficient half court scorer, who while playing great ball is less likely to have his teammates get into the flow. Think brook lopez for instance)

He was a tough player... he wasnt useless in the half court either, he was umtempo in the half court as well. he had a solid mid range game, and really had good chemistry in that offense. it was never "iso for clyde and everyone watch". those blazers teams really moved the ball well both in and out of transition.

I think the one thing to Take away from Drexler's career was how he put opponents on edge... they knew he wanted to run, and they didnt want to play that kind of game, yet drexler was always able to make it a track meet

Upon being introduced to the NBA as a child, Drexler was my first ever "favorite player", so my opinions itt are going to be biased. But this description of Drexler's game is tremendous. Like you said, the ability to impose a full-court transition game is a significant aspect of NBA basketball that cannot be found in individual stats. Drexler remains one of the few greyhounds in NBA history who could (vs any team in any era) outrun entire defenses to all at once: grab the defensive reb or create a turnover --> initiate the fast break --> lead the fast break --> finish the fast break.

Overall, I consider Drexler a poor man's LeBron James, with Drexler being superior in the open court while James is the better halfcourt offensive player.

[BenoUdrihFTL]

Drexler wasnt a guy who excelled in transition... drexler was a guy who forced you into a transition game. Similar to Jason Kidd and Charles barkley. Those guys were just 1 man fast breaks. Drexler is one of the greatest athletes of all time... he was like a faster version of wade. every just seemed to be moving a step slower.

One of the things that gets lost once years go by, is just how much impact a guy has by forcing a transition game. when you watch the games, you can see the impact, when you look back at the stats, you dont really get the "feel" of how they changed how those games were played... im certain this will happen to kidd as well, as his advanced stats dont match his impact... yet if you watched his early days on the nets, you know the kind of impact he had on games.

Drexler was similar to that... and it put alot of pressure on offenses to take good shots and not turn it over... knowing that if they did it was going to be an easy 2 the other way. And when you play with someone like clyde, it makes you want to run the floor and you kind of take on that persona. (something also overlooked... someone who forces transition i think is more likely to get his teammates running an in to it as opposed to a super efficient half court scorer, who while playing great ball is less likely to have his teammates get into the flow. Think brook lopez for instance)

He was a tough player... he wasnt useless in the half court either, he was umtempo in the half court as well. he had a solid mid range game, and really had good chemistry in that offense. it was never "iso for clyde and everyone watch". those blazers teams really moved the ball well both in and out of transition.

I think the one thing to Take away from Drexler's career was how he put opponents on edge... they knew he wanted to run, and they didnt want to play that kind of game, yet drexler was always able to make it a track meet

Upon being introduced to the NBA as a child, Drexler was my first ever "favorite player", so my opinions itt are going to be biased. But this description of Drexler's game is tremendous. Like you said, the ability to impose a full-court transition game is a significant aspect of NBA basketball that cannot be found in individual stats. Drexler remains one of the few greyhounds in NBA history who could (vs any team in any era) outrun entire defenses to all at once: grab the defensive reb or create a turnover --> initiate the fast break --> lead the fast break --> finish the fast break.

Overall, I consider Drexler a poor man's LeBron James, with Drexler being superior in the open court while James is the better halfcourt offensive player.

Well I still assert Clyde was the more dominant open court player but that gif made me lol