What players in NBA history could have averaged 50 PPG in 1962?

[Mazter]

Something to take into account in regards to the stamina required, is that players today cover more ground than they did in the 60s. Wilt didn't really need to wander far from the paint. It's possible that this may balance out the crazy pace + 48.5 mpg, but I'm not sure. I do think it guarantees though that the player you'd need to take back must be a big, assuming perimeter players are actually playing defense on the perimeter. They just need to run down, play defense, run back down, create a paint shot. Easier said than done, but I'm looking at the Shaqs and Hakeems of the world here.

This is true. Let's just say that the most regular in-play movement from Wilt I mostly saw is between the low posts which is 5-10 feet at most. Combine that with about 150 times of running up and down the court and you would come to a 12,500 feet, maybe 13k, of movement at most, for Wilt. That's what guys like Gobert also move today...in only 32 minutes that is. So it's not hard to think that today's centers would be able to play 45+ minutes in the sixties.

I do think it guarantees though that the player you'd need to take back must be a big, assuming perimeter players are actually playing defense on the perimeter. They just need to run down, play defense, run back down, create a paint shot. Easier said than done, but I'm looking at the Shaqs and Hakeems of the world here.

That being said, Wayne Embry was an all star center that year. He was 6-8 and 240 lbs, the second heaviest guy behind Wilt. LeBron is 6-8...and 260 pounds. He could as well play center in 1962, and challenge centers to come out to the perimeter. Or maybe create a mismatch at small forward against a 6-5 and 220lbs Elgin Baylor?

[Mazter]

Jokic better conditioned than Russell or Wilt? Sorry, but I don't buy that.

Well, maybe you should tell Tim Connely to get rid of the following guys:
Director of Basketball Strategy & Analytics Tommy Balcetis
Director, Player Development John Beckett
Assistant Coach Wes Unseld Jr.
Assistant Coach David Adelman
Assistant Coach Jordi Fernandez
Assistant Coach Ryan Bowen
Assistant Coach Charles Klask
Player Development Stephen Graham
Player Development Ognjen Stojakovic
Head Video Coordinator Travess Armenta
Assistant Video Coordinator Andrew Munson
Head Athletic Trainer Dan Shimensky
Head Strength & Conditioning Coach Felipe Eichenberger
Director of Sports Medicine Steve Short
Assistant Athletic Trainer Jason Miller
Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach Carlos Daniel
Physical Therapist Matt Tuttle
Massage Therapist Margo Osborne
Team Primary Care Dr. Morteza Khodaee (Head Team Primary Care Medicine)
Team Primary Care Dr. Jack Spittler
Team Primary Care Dr. Karin VanBaak
Team Cardiologist Dr. Will Sauer
Team Cardiologist Dr. Bill Cornwell
Team Psychologist Dr. Alex Reed
Team Psychologist Dr. Shandra Brown Levey

No need to pay them, sixties franchises didn't have them either.

[LKN]

Jokic better conditioned than Russell or Wilt? Sorry, but I don't buy that.

Well, maybe you should tell Tim Connely to get rid of the following guys:
Director of Basketball Strategy & Analytics Tommy Balcetis
Director, Player Development John Beckett
Assistant Coach Wes Unseld Jr.
Assistant Coach David Adelman
Assistant Coach Jordi Fernandez
Assistant Coach Ryan Bowen
Assistant Coach Charles Klask
Player Development Stephen Graham
Player Development Ognjen Stojakovic
Head Video Coordinator Travess Armenta
Assistant Video Coordinator Andrew Munson
Head Athletic Trainer Dan Shimensky
Head Strength & Conditioning Coach Felipe Eichenberger
Director of Sports Medicine Steve Short
Assistant Athletic Trainer Jason Miller
Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach Carlos Daniel
Physical Therapist Matt Tuttle
Massage Therapist Margo Osborne
Team Primary Care Dr. Morteza Khodaee (Head Team Primary Care Medicine)
Team Primary Care Dr. Jack Spittler
Team Primary Care Dr. Karin VanBaak
Team Cardiologist Dr. Will Sauer
Team Cardiologist Dr. Bill Cornwell
Team Psychologist Dr. Alex Reed
Team Psychologist Dr. Shandra Brown Levey

No need to pay them, sixties franchises didn't have them either.

What does that have to do with Jokic being better conditioned than Wilt or Russell? Jokic is a great player, but Wilt and Russell were both excellent track and field athletes.

Conditioning is mostly genetics and hard work - all this advanced medical care and training certainly helps at the margins, but you are way, way overstating the impact

[kendogg]

The benefits of modern sports science are mainly in weight training and sports medicine. Weight training does have many benefits, but stamina isn't one of them. You get stamina through cardio and that is something even guys in the 60's did. In particular, Wilt and Russ ran track and field so they clearly were into running as much or more than any modern player. And while Wilt could have benefited from weight training, I'm not sure how much, since a lot of the things Shaq did in his day would be offensive fouls in the 60's. Maybe give him a bit more explosion in the legs. Not like he lacked lift, though.

[LKN]

The benefits of modern sports science are mainly in weight training and sports medicine. Weight training does have many benefits, but stamina isn't one of them. You get stamina through cardio and that is something even guys in the 60's did. In particular, Wilt and Russ ran track and field so they clearly were into running as much or more than any modern player. And while Wilt could have benefited from weight training, I'm not sure how much, since a lot of the things Shaq did in his day would be offensive fouls in the 60's. Maybe give him a bit more explosion in the legs. Not like he lacked lift, though.

I thought Wilt was pretty into weight training (at least during the latter part of his career)?

[Narigo]

Kawhi Leonard

[kendogg]

The benefits of modern sports science are mainly in weight training and sports medicine. Weight training does have many benefits, but stamina isn't one of them. You get stamina through cardio and that is something even guys in the 60's did. In particular, Wilt and Russ ran track and field so they clearly were into running as much or more than any modern player. And while Wilt could have benefited from weight training, I'm not sure how much, since a lot of the things Shaq did in his day would be offensive fouls in the 60's. Maybe give him a bit more explosion in the legs. Not like he lacked lift, though.

I thought Wilt was pretty into weight training (at least during the latter part of his career)?

Wilt lifted weights his whole career, though he was somewhat rare for his era. But from what I understand, not really until after his career did he get serious into weight training. And back then they didn't have all of the equipment that modern guys have, for every single muscle, etc. Weight lifting wasn't really popular until Arnold in the 70's and his movie "Pumping Iron". It was still somewhat rare in the 60's though starting to emerge. The general thought though in the earlier eras was that muscles will affect your shot. It wasn't until fairly recently that type of thinking was debunked. So a lot of the earlier finesse players did not lift much weights.

He did put on some weight early in his career though. He entered the league at 260 lbs. 2nd year was 290, and was 320 (in training camp) by his 5th year. Some of that weight was just summer fat, just like other big guys they can't really go hard every day like the smaller guys they need days to rest their body as it has to support a massive weight. Most of his career played around 290-310.

I think Wilt's upper body and core were very strong, but perhaps he could have done more with his lower body. One thing that Wilt did struggle with at times is quick explosion. He bent his knees to use more thigh in his jump which made him more predictable in blocks at times. Where as Shaq had a bit more explosion in his calves. Though Shaq's max vert was never higher than 36" and Wilt's is far higher. But his 1-step vert is a lot closer to Wilt. Shaq at one point held the combine record for standing reach at 12'5". Might still be the record not sure.. I think Dwight unofficially beat it. Wilt's max reach was said to be 13' but his standing reach was probably closer to Shaq's 12'5" (though we have no data on this and the 13' max reach is, as far as I know, circumstantial evidence of him grabbing coins off the top of the backboard with the Globetrotters, and not an official measurement).

[Mazter]

All of a sudden this turned into a "Wilt/Russell is more athletic than Jokic" topic. While it is much more. Jokic is also 7-0 and 250 pounds. That would make him third largest and second heaviest player in 62. All star center Wayne Embry (you would almost forget in this topic that there were more centers in the sixties) was 6-8 and 240. Red Kerr was 6-9 and 230. Russell himself was listed 6-10 and 220. He has aheight and weight advantage on anyone not named Wilt. Jokic also has a 47% midrange jumpshot which peaked at 54%. He has a 57.5% hook shot which peaked at 64%. Unathletic as he is he still drove 3.7 times a game this season, third among 7 footers and finished at 60+%. He also peaked at 85% in FT's. His skillset and efficiency has not been seen for a big man and would leave opposing centers perplex. The last part, element of surprise. There are no video images. No way to analyze and prepare for him.

I think all of this could make him capable enough to be allowed to gun for 40 ppg and possibly even reach 50ppg.

[liamliam1234]

The recipe is not size = scoring. Why would Jokic, who has never been a heavy volume scorer and who has clear conditioning issues at a certain point, be banging around for however many minutes it takes him to attempt thirty field goals per game. Wilt complained about how violent people were when guarding him at his scoring apex and even considered retirement; Jokic is not shrugging that off.

I would say Kareem, and leave it at that. Jordan with an outside chance.

EDIT: And peak Lebron, with Baylor in mind. Possibly a few other top-tier athletes, e.g. 2003 McGrady. But Wilt had an easier time of it than Baylor, so I think he works as a better comparison in terms of expected actual minutes necessary rather than extrapolating past Baylor's inherent inefficiency.

[70sFan]

All of a sudden this turned into a "Wilt/Russell is more athletic than Jokic" topic. While it is much more. Jokic is also 7-0 and 250 pounds. That would make him third largest and second heaviest player in 62. All star center Wayne Embry (you would almost forget in this topic that there were more centers in the sixties) was 6-8 and 240. Red Kerr was 6-9 and 230. Russell himself was listed 6-10 and 220. He has aheight and weight advantage on anyone not named Wilt. Jokic also has a 47% midrange jumpshot which peaked at 54%. He has a 57.5% hook shot which peaked at 64%. Unathletic as he is he still drove 3.7 times a game this season, third among 7 footers and finished at 60+%. He also peaked at 85% in FT's. His skillset and efficiency has not been seen for a big man and would leave opposing centers perplex. The last part, element of surprise. There are no video images. No way to analyze and prepare for him.

I think all of this could make him capable enough to be allowed to gun for 40 ppg and possibly even reach 50ppg.

Then you should know that listed measurements are meaningless.

Nikola Jokic was listed at 6'11 when he came into the league. That means that he's likely 6'10 without the shoes, so basically identical to Bill Russell (who was measured just under 6'10 without the shoes). He's not extremely tall by any means, Walter Dukes and Swede Halbrook were both taller than Jokic, Bellamy was the same height.

Secondly, listed weights are basically college weights at best in the 1960s. Wayne Embry was listed at 240 lbs but we have accounts that say he weighed around 280 lbs during his career. Walt Bellamy is listed at 220 lbs but I've never seen any claims about him weighing less than 240 lbs. Clyde Lovellette was at the end of his career and he was said to be 270 lbs.

So no, Jokic wouldn't be second biggest center in 1962 league. He would be big (like he is today) but nothing special in that aspect. There were taller and heavier players than him even in much smaller league.

[70sFan]

Jokic better conditioned than Russell or Wilt? Sorry, but I don't buy that.

Well, maybe you should tell Tim Connely to get rid of the following guys:
Director of Basketball Strategy & Analytics Tommy Balcetis
Director, Player Development John Beckett
Assistant Coach Wes Unseld Jr.
Assistant Coach David Adelman
Assistant Coach Jordi Fernandez
Assistant Coach Ryan Bowen
Assistant Coach Charles Klask
Player Development Stephen Graham
Player Development Ognjen Stojakovic
Head Video Coordinator Travess Armenta
Assistant Video Coordinator Andrew Munson
Head Athletic Trainer Dan Shimensky
Head Strength & Conditioning Coach Felipe Eichenberger
Director of Sports Medicine Steve Short
Assistant Athletic Trainer Jason Miller
Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach Carlos Daniel
Physical Therapist Matt Tuttle
Massage Therapist Margo Osborne
Team Primary Care Dr. Morteza Khodaee (Head Team Primary Care Medicine)
Team Primary Care Dr. Jack Spittler
Team Primary Care Dr. Karin VanBaak
Team Cardiologist Dr. Will Sauer
Team Cardiologist Dr. Bill Cornwell
Team Psychologist Dr. Alex Reed
Team Psychologist Dr. Shandra Brown Levey

No need to pay them, sixties franchises didn't have them either.

Yeah, let's completely forget that things like athletic potential exist. Give me these guys and I'll be better conditioned than any pre-2010 player.

[HeartBreakKid]

All of a sudden this turned into a "Wilt/Russell is more athletic than Jokic" topic. While it is much more. Jokic is also 7-0 and 250 pounds. That would make him third largest and second heaviest player in 62. All star center Wayne Embry (you would almost forget in this topic that there were more centers in the sixties) was 6-8 and 240. Red Kerr was 6-9 and 230. Russell himself was listed 6-10 and 220. He has aheight and weight advantage on anyone not named Wilt. Jokic also has a 47% midrange jumpshot which peaked at 54%. He has a 57.5% hook shot which peaked at 64%. Unathletic as he is he still drove 3.7 times a game this season, third among 7 footers and finished at 60+%. He also peaked at 85% in FT's. His skillset and efficiency has not been seen for a big man and would leave opposing centers perplex. The last part, element of surprise. There are no video images. No way to analyze and prepare for him.

I think all of this could make him capable enough to be allowed to gun for 40 ppg and possibly even reach 50ppg.

The way players were measured and listed were different in the 60s. Players in the 60s are the same height more or less as the players today.

[henshao]

Conditioning can be an extremely deceptive subject.



I would expect the top athletes of the 60's to be better at the type of stamina 60's basketball required. Certainly, our athletic science is better now, but running up and down the court is running up and down the court. Even simple, eternal drills like suicides are still in use because you can't outsmart hard work.

[HeartBreakKid]

Something to take into account in regards to the stamina required, is that players today cover more ground than they did in the 60s. Wilt didn't really need to wander far from the paint. It's possible that this may balance out the crazy pace + 48.5 mpg, but I'm not sure. I do think it guarantees though that the player you'd need to take back must be a big, assuming perimeter players are actually playing defense on the perimeter. They just need to run down, play defense, run back down, create a paint shot. Easier said than done, but I'm looking at the Shaqs and Hakeems of the world here.

This is true. Let's just say that the most regular in-play movement from Wilt I mostly saw is between the low posts which is 5-10 feet at most. Combine that with about 150 times of running up and down the court and you would come to a 12,500 feet, maybe 13k, of movement at most, for Wilt. That's what guys like Gobert also move today...in only 32 minutes that is. So it's not hard to think that today's centers would be able to play 45+ minutes in the sixties.

I do think it guarantees though that the player you'd need to take back must be a big, assuming perimeter players are actually playing defense on the perimeter. They just need to run down, play defense, run back down, create a paint shot. Easier said than done, but I'm looking at the Shaqs and Hakeems of the world here.

That being said, Wayne Embry was an all star center that year. He was 6-8 and 240 lbs, the second heaviest guy behind Wilt. LeBron is 6-8...and 260 pounds. He could as well play center in 1962, and challenge centers to come out to the perimeter. Or maybe create a mismatch at small forward against a 6-5 and 220lbs Elgin Baylor?

Zion Williamson is 6'8 and is the 2nd heaviest guy in the NBA - I don't necessarily think he'll really be a "center". Being a center is a bit more than just your weight.

[70sFan]

BTW, Kawhi Leonard is 6'6 without the shoes and with large hands. Elgin Baylor was 6'5.5 without the shoes and with large hands. Both weighed around 230 lbs, so why James would be such a mismatch against Baylor? And Kawhi is not small SF at all.

James is shorter than Embry by around 0.75 of inch and lighter by around 20 lbs. Not to mention that James is heavier than many centers today, yet he doesn't play as a center.

[udfa]

A lot of modern guards would qualify. 1962 guards would have no defense against modern guards. The athleticism and skill level of modern players would be completely alien to players from that era. There might be an adjustment period for many of these players due to the tighter rules on dribbling/carrying but once done they would be unstoppable. It would be like introducing an invasive species into an ecosystem that has never seen anything like the invader before and has developed no defenses. Kobe might be able to average 60 PPG. Jordan, LeBron, Iverson, Wade, Westbrook -- all of the super high usage guards would have a good shot. Shaq and other historically elite offensive big men would have a good shot too, though they wouldn't have so easy a time as modern perimeter players would.

[70sFan]

A lot of modern guards would qualify. 1962 guards would have no defense against modern guards. The athleticism and skill level of modern players would be completely alien to players from that era. There might be an adjustment period for many of these players due to the tighter rules on dribbling/carrying but once done they would be unstoppable. It would be like introducing an invasive species into an ecosystem that has never seen anything like the invader before and has developed no defenses. Kobe might be able to average 60 PPG. Jordan, LeBron, Iverson, Wade, Westbrook -- all of the super high usage guards would have a good shot. Shaq and other historically elite offensive big men would have a good shot too, though they wouldn't have so easy a time as modern perimeter players would.

Thier shooting skills are much better than 1960s guards, but their slashing abilities would be minimalized due to stricter handling, traveling and offensive fouls offciating. Without adjustements, they wouldn't score that much. With adjustements, they would be great but I doubt they would average that many points. I mean, Elgin Baylor was extremely skilled and very athletic, he didn't mind shooting a lot either and he never averaged over 40 ppg. What makes them that much better than Baylor? Or West? Or Oscar? They gap is overblown by your post here in my opinion.

[udfa]

A lot of modern guards would qualify. 1962 guards would have no defense against modern guards. The athleticism and skill level of modern players would be completely alien to players from that era. There might be an adjustment period for many of these players due to the tighter rules on dribbling/carrying but once done they would be unstoppable. It would be like introducing an invasive species into an ecosystem that has never seen anything like the invader before and has developed no defenses. Kobe might be able to average 60 PPG. Jordan, LeBron, Iverson, Wade, Westbrook -- all of the super high usage guards would have a good shot. Shaq and other historically elite offensive big men would have a good shot too, though they wouldn't have so easy a time as modern perimeter players would.

Thier shooting skills are much better than 1960s guards, but their slashing abilities would be minimalized due to stricter handling, traveling and offensive fouls offciating. Without adjustements, they wouldn't score that much. With adjustements, they would be great but I doubt they would average that many points. I mean, Elgin Baylor was extremely skilled and very athletic, he didn't mind shooting a lot either and he never averaged over 40 ppg. What makes them that much better than Baylor? Or West? Or Oscar? They gap is overblown by your post here in my opinion.

Baylor in his best scoring season shot .428 FG and .492 TS. He was able to average 38.3 PPG with those awful percentages because his team had a 123.3 pace, one of the slowest teams in the league at that time. Baylor averaged 33 FGA and 13 FTA. Wilt shot 39 FGA and 17 FTA. It was all you can eat back then. In Carmelo Anthony's highest volume season he averaged 22 FGA and 7.6 FTA and shot .476 (good enough for 5th in 1962) on 2s and .830 from the line (4th in 1962), neither career highs. Give him another 15-20 scoring opportunities and lower the height of the average defender by over 2" with reduced athleticism relative to modern defenders and inferior team defense, I think it's more than plausible to say he could average 50 PPG if that was his goal.

[70sFan]

A lot of modern guards would qualify. 1962 guards would have no defense against modern guards. The athleticism and skill level of modern players would be completely alien to players from that era. There might be an adjustment period for many of these players due to the tighter rules on dribbling/carrying but once done they would be unstoppable. It would be like introducing an invasive species into an ecosystem that has never seen anything like the invader before and has developed no defenses. Kobe might be able to average 60 PPG. Jordan, LeBron, Iverson, Wade, Westbrook -- all of the super high usage guards would have a good shot. Shaq and other historically elite offensive big men would have a good shot too, though they wouldn't have so easy a time as modern perimeter players would.

Thier shooting skills are much better than 1960s guards, but their slashing abilities would be minimalized due to stricter handling, traveling and offensive fouls offciating. Without adjustements, they wouldn't score that much. With adjustements, they would be great but I doubt they would average that many points. I mean, Elgin Baylor was extremely skilled and very athletic, he didn't mind shooting a lot either and he never averaged over 40 ppg. What makes them that much better than Baylor? Or West? Or Oscar? They gap is overblown by your post here in my opinion.

Baylor in his best scoring season shot .428 FG and .492 TS. He was able to average 38.3 PPG with those awful percentages because his team had a 123.3 pace, one of the slowest teams in the league at that time. Baylor averaged 33 FGA and 13 FTA. Wilt shot 39 FGA and 17 FTA. It was all you can eat back then. In Carmelo Anthony's highest volume season he averaged 22 FGA and 7.6 FTA and shot .476 (good enough for 5th in 1962) on 2s and .830 from the line (4th in 1962), neither career highs. Give him another 15-20 scoring opportunities and lower the height of the average defender by over 2" with reduced athleticism relative to modern defenders and inferior team defense, I think it's more than plausible to say he could average 50 PPG if that was his goal.

Yes, but that was Baylor playing only 48 games, he never shot over 30 FGA in full season. The closest he got was in 1961 and he averaged 34.8 ppg on 49.8 TS% (+2.9 rTS%). That's not close to 50 ppg.

You use Carmelo 2P%, but even in 2000s two point shots are selected, most of them are at the rim. In the 1960s all of his shots, including heaves and buzzers, would be counted as twos. Not to mention that teams plays far longer to get good shot today - either you have more efficient offense or additional 15 scoring opportunities, you can't get it both ways. Carmelo in 2013 was less efficient than Baylor in 1961 relative to league average and I don't expect him to be above 50 TS% in 1962. He wouldn't have three point line, he wouldn't have his handles and he wouldn't have possibility to use his travel pivots.

Why do you want to lower height of defenders by "over 2' on average"? That's ridiculous, Carmelo is 6'6.25 without the shoes, basically identical to Elgin Baylor (6'5.5 without the shoes). He wouldn't face 6'4 forwards:

Tom Heinsohn was 6'7 without the shoes - taller than Melo
Tom Sanders was 6'6 without the shoes - as tall as Melo
Tom Gola was 6'6 without the shoes - as tall as Melo
Tom Meschery was 6'6 without the shoes - as tall as Melo
Paul Arizin was 6'4 without the shoes - shorter (Gola or Meschery would guard him anyway)
Lee Schaffer was 6'7 without the shoes - taller than Melo
Dave Gambee was 6'6 without the shoes - as tall as Melo
Dolph Schayes was 6'8 without the shoes - taller than Melo
Willie Naulls was 6'6 without the shoes - as tall as Melo
Johnny Green was 6'5 without the shoes - shorter than Melo
Elgin Baylor was 6'5.5 without the shoes - shorter than Melo
Tom Hawkins was 6'5 without the shoes - shorter than Melo
Rudy LaRusso was 6'7 without the shoes - taller than Melo
Jack Twyman was 6'6 without the shoes - as tall as Melo
Bob Boozer was 6'8 without the shoes - taller than Melo
Bailey Howell was 6'7 without the shoes - taller than Melo
Ray Scott was 6'9 without the shoes - taller than Melo
Cliff Hagan was 6'4 without the shoes - shorter than Melo
Bob Pettit was 6'9 without the shoes - taller than Melo
Andy Johnson was 6'5 without the shoes - shorter than Melo
Charlie Tyra was 6'8 without the shoes - taller than Melo

That gives us an average of 6'6.5 among forwards with most minutes played in the league. Are you trying to tell me that forwards in 2013 were 6'9 without the shoes on average?

Carmelo Anthony is 6'6.25 without the shoes
LeBron James is 6'7.25 without the shoes
Kawhi Leonard is 6'6 without the shoes
Paul Millsap is 6'6.25 without the shoes
Danny Granger is 6'7.5 without the shoes
David Lee is 6'7.75 without the shoes
Trevor Ariza is 6'7 without the shoes
Matt Barnes is 6'6.75 without the shoes
Caron Bulter is 6'5.25 without the shoes
Udonis Haslem is 6'6.75 without the shoes

to name a few.

There is a difference in their height, but it's almost meaningless - half of an inch, maybe inch at best. Carmelo wouldn't tower over 1960s forwards, he would be normal sized forward for that time.

[Triples333]

The benefits of modern sports science are mainly in weight training and sports medicine. Weight training does have many benefits, but stamina isn't one of them. You get stamina through cardio and that is something even guys in the 60's did. In particular, Wilt and Russ ran track and field so they clearly were into running as much or more than any modern player. And while Wilt could have benefited from weight training, I'm not sure how much, since a lot of the things Shaq did in his day would be offensive fouls in the 60's. Maybe give him a bit more explosion in the legs. Not like he lacked lift, though.

I would like to see a more thorough breakdown of this, but simply put I feel like the game is played at a much more intense degree in 2019 than it was in the 60's. The player with the 5th most minutes every year of the 60's was still playing >40 mpg. It is tough to make the argument to me that a guy like Bradley Beal or Jrue Holiday would not be playing 44+ mpg in that era. That said, yes Wilt and Bill were freak athletes that would also likely be among the league leaders in minutes in this era as well. Just likely not at >40 mpg.