RealGM

Who is the most fundamentally sound player?

Tim Duncan? Kobe Bryant?

Duncan.

/thread

Duncan ahead of Kobe, for sure.

Kobe is very well-drilled in the fundamentals, but his execution on the court is far from fundamental. His shot selection makes it impossible to call him the most fundamental player, even if he's pretty much the most complete perimeter player in the league.

Something rare in a player like Kobe is that he came into the league with pretty good and sound fundamentals, as well as the physical attributes of course, which cannot be said for many players of his type, especially those, who, like him, entered the league fresh out of high-school.

I would say its close because Duncan struggles with probably the most fundamental part of the game, shooting free throws. but to be honest, the term itself is pretty vague and is applied rather casually.

My idea of a fundamentally sound player is one who uses only a handful of moves and opts for the basic and the easiest way to get his points and leave his mark on the game. In this sense, its DUNCAN.

I agree that it's Duncan, but Brandon Roy is pretty fundamentally sound as well.

Kobe is half fundamental-half flashy, Duncan is full fundamental.

EtchenBa wrote:Duncan.

/thread

+1

Mr. Fundamental

MJ didn't win his 1st title until 95 (not 96), correct ?

http://bit.ly/a2P36Q

Ooh, Jvaughn's right, Brandon Roy is the Tim Duncan of the perimeter. Another excellent choice.

shout out to my guys CP3 and KG.

Larry Bird is the GOAT although his passes were rather flashy

Dwight Howard just ahead of Rondo and Kwame.

seriously though, it's probably Nash. maybe he's not classic-fundamental, but his skills must be just insane to be the player he is considering his athleticism (or lack thereof). Dirk is a good example too. Gasol. Ray Allen. Paul Pierce.

Nash is an excellent choice. He uses flashy passes and aggressive dribbling a little bit much, but his fundamentals?

Head's always up, even when dribbling. Can shoot the hell out of the ball (FTs, 3s, mid-range, off-balance, wherever). Outstanding passer, great at all of his positional skills (floor general, controlling tempo, etc). He rebounds reasonably well given his size and athletic ability, he plays sound help defense and tries on man D (outclassed athletically as he is, nightly). I mean, find a skill failing in his game, right? Point to a flaw in his game, it's almost certainly due to comparative athletic ability. He busts hump in the gym to be physically fit enough to play, he doesn't give up on games, etc.

Gasol is a good example of late, now that he's not lolly-gagging on the glass (his own admission). Ray Allen is a classic, fundamental 2 with underappreciated ball-handling and passing ability. Pierce is another fine fundamental player.

Dirk, too. Mid-post game, excellent shooter, good passer, decent rebounding fundamentals, etc, etc.

initiald wrote:Kobe is half fundamental-half flashy, Duncan is full fundamental.

I like the illustration.

You know something- Paul Pierce actually reminds me a little of Duncan. He isn't the most athletic player. He isn't very quick or fast or the strongest player you'll see. But he is effective. He's good at every aspect of the game. I'd vote for him to be in the discussion.

Actually, Pierce is pretty strong. Good body control, too, and he's damned aggressive about going to the rim. He is pretty fundamental, for sure, but he's got strength. Not in the sense of a guy like Lebron or Melo, but he's got a lot of power for a wing.

jaypo wrote:You know something- Paul Pierce actually reminds me a little of Duncan. He isn't the most athletic player. He isn't very quick or fast or the strongest player you'll see. But he is effective. He's good at every aspect of the game. I'd vote for him to be in the discussion.

yeah, if Big Three had any athleticism left, this league would be torn apart...

off the top of my head, it's kobe/duncan but imo i cant really put down duncan as the most fundamentally sound when you cant shoot FTs, and when i say that duncan struggles to make it to 70% and was a terrible 50% in the playoffs. pau gasol for a big man is definitely up there as well.

kobe is the most fundamental imo but his shot selection leaves something to be desired at times. does that have something to do with fundamentals though? i think that's just basketball IQ, not fundamentals.

Kobe has no weakness in his game beside bad shot selection but hey he shoots 45%. Duncan on the other hand cant make free throws.

Duncan shoots about 70% for his career from the line, which is what is normally expected from a big man. Fundamentals to me includes bball IQ, as being a smart basketball player on the court, not committing dumb fouls, learning the ins and outs of both man, help, and zone defense, making the right pass at the right time, and proper shot selection are all necessary parts of being a fundamentally sound player. Along with that goes basic bball skills, like making layups/dunks, boxing out, midrange jump shots, bank shots, outlet passes, ball handling, and a post game. Everyone in the NBA can make layups, but a lot of them choose not to and go for the flashy dunk, when a layup or a simple dunk would get the job done. Not enough NBA players box out, and instead try to use their leaping abilities to get the ball. Again, not enough NBA players can consistently make a midrange jump shot, nor do they know how to use the glass or make a nice outlet pass. Too many NBA players try to be flashy with their dribbling and commit dumb turnovers, and a lot of them, like LeBron, don't know how to score in the post. Like someone said, Duncan has a limited and basic, but very effective array of post moves. The one knock on him is the FT%, which isn't really a weakness, just the only aspect of his fundamentals that isn't great. Kobe could be the most fundamentally sound player in the NBA, but his bball IQ is a little low, and it's not because he doesn't know how to not be the smartest player on the court, he just chooses not to be.