One_and_Done wrote:
I think this is a misunderstanding on your part. Alot of people see someone like Draymond Green and say "here's the proof all-rounders have great value". The thing is, Green isn't just an all around good player with good skills. What makes prime Green so valuable is that he's an elite defensive player. Like, a DPOY type of defender. That is his specialist skill. He's a specialist who happens to have all around skills; which is obviously the best kind of player.
Of course you want a player to be good at everything, but a team starting 5 all-around good players will go nowhere. What makes the Celtics so good isn't just that they have 5 all around guys starting, it's that 1 is an MVP candidate based on his potent offensive abilities and the other star of the team might be even better than him in the playoffs. Even their 3rd to 5th best guys are kind of specialists. White and Jrue are elite defensive players, among the best in the league. Despite that, if you're choosing between White or Harden to build a team around you go Harden every time; and I love White. Harden sucking on D doesn't matter enough, his specialisation is still so potent you always build around him over the 'all around good' White.
The only time you consider White over prime Harden is if you're working out who fits better as your 4th best guy; and even then you'd often still take Harden. We also don't rate guys based on who'd be the best 4th man on a team.
That's not a specialist. A specialist is a player who is is very good at a certain thing, but lacks other skills. Think Duncan Robinson, very good at 3pt shooting, and not much else. Or Andre Drummond, very good at rebounding, and not much else. Or Al Jefferson, very good at post scoring, but not much else.
If they have multiple skills, they aren't a specialist. They're an All-Around player. Draymond Green is an All-Around player. Jrue Holiday and White are All-Around players. All very good defenders, but all of them are good on offense as well.
The definition of specialist
a person who concentrates primarily on a particular subject or activity; a person highly skilled in a specific and restricted field.
So players like the ones I mentioned above. They concentrate on a certain skill, and play roles within the team that need that certain skill.
jack of all trades
a person who can do many different types of work.
So players that are skilled at multiple different things.
James Harden is an All-around offensive player. He can shoot, pass, dribble etc. He's like (or used to be like) Steph, Jokic, Luka etc. Other All-Around offensive engines.
White and Jrue are also all-around players. They're good on defense, and on offense.
You simultaneously have too broad a definition of a specialist, to the point where basically every player in the league that is any good is a specialist. And are also capping what an all-around player can be, because if they're too good at anything they must be a specialist.
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