Mazter wrote:penbeast0 wrote:Stockton less effective? What change in the PG role would nerf Stockton? I could see him as an ironman version of Chris Paul with more emphasis on his 3 point shooting, the same great playmaking and defense, and super health though he doesn't have Paul's turnover economy or younger Paul's scoring volume.
I don't believe I said less effective, but some reasons as why Stockton that come up:
- He was a late bloomer, his first All Anything season was at age 25, don't know if teams have the patience to wait or give someone that chance after his rookie contract already expired.
- today is a lot of driving based on speed and explosiveness, I can't really picture Stockton doing that succesfully 10-20 times in today's game
- nearly half of the assists are based on catch and shoot as results of ball movement or drive and kick, you don't really need a Stockton type of point guard to accomplish that
That being said, the Chris Paul comparison is a good one. But even Paul was 3 years of the critics radar before he reinvented himself with the Thunder and the Suns. But he did that based on his past (9x All D, 8x All NBA, 7x AS) and his huge contract, maybe even his position as president of the NBPA. Don't know if an up and coming Stockton would get the same credit. I guess it all depends on the franchise and the coach, could be anything, but the chance at "nothing" is definitely there.
If 35 year old Chris Paul could dominate last season, then Stockton can do the same. You can't tell me that Chris Paul last season was faster or more athletic than prime Stockton.
-35 year old Chris Paul, the closest sylistic comparison to Stockton, averaged 19/10, 60 TS% per 36. He finished 5th in MVP voting.
-We are in a league today where TJ McConnell averages 12 drives per game. Mike Conley averages 13. Stockton can do the same considering he was a prolific driver during his era.
-35 year old Chris Paul took only 6% of his shots at the rim. 35 year old Stockton took 37% of shots at the rim. Thats 6x higher than CP3's rate. Stockton was always much more aggressive than Paul at attacking the basket. Now imagine prime Stockton in that role instead of 35 year old Stockton.
-Stockton was effective early on. By year 2, he was 2nd in the league in Assist%. In year 3, he was 1st in the league in Assist%. In year 4, he broke the all-time record for Assists in a season. He would get plenty of opportunities in today's league.