player who were more or less than the sum of their skills

Moderators: Clyde Frazier, Doctor MJ, trex_8063, penbeast0, PaulieWal

falcolombardi
General Manager
Posts: 9,510
And1: 7,113
Joined: Apr 13, 2021
       

player who were more or less than the sum of their skills 

Post#1 » by falcolombardi » Mon Apr 4, 2022 8:09 pm

we often talk about teams that are more or are less thsn the sum of their parts, but what about players?

who are guys who were great in a lot of thinghs so it felt like thet should have been great but couldnt put it all together for whatever reason?

or alternstively, guys whose profile doesnt sound that impressive when you list his strenghts and weakness but they made it work really really well in the court ?
Owly
Lead Assistant
Posts: 5,622
And1: 3,139
Joined: Mar 12, 2010

Re: player who were more or less than the sum of their skills 

Post#2 » by Owly » Mon Apr 4, 2022 8:16 pm

This might depend a lot on what you consider a "skill" (e.g. court awareness? athleticism? etc).
JLei
Lead Assistant
Posts: 4,577
And1: 2,998
Joined: Aug 25, 2009
 

Re: player who were more or less than the sum of their skills 

Post#3 » by JLei » Mon Apr 4, 2022 8:29 pm

I'm guessing this is kind of a draft bust thread. Players that always tantalize teams and show flashes but ultimately the result is pretty meh. I.e. you catch them on the right night and they look like unstoppable world beaters but take an average they are much lower.

So. Jeff Green, Andrew Wiggins, Dion Waiters, Harrison Barnes, D'Aaron Fox, Tim Thomas.

Others who are actually good but given their unicorn talent you think they should have been more. Kristaps, Cousins, Lamar Odom, Antoine Walker
Modern Era Fantasy Game Champ! :king:
PG: Ricky Rubio 16
SG: Brandon Roy 09
SF: Danny Green 14
PF: Rasheed Wallace 06
C: Shaquille O'Neal 01

G: George Hill 14
F: Anthony Parker 10
C: Amir Johnson 12
penbeast0
Senior Mod - NBA Player Comparisons
Senior Mod - NBA Player Comparisons
Posts: 30,329
And1: 9,887
Joined: Aug 14, 2004
Location: South Florida
 

Re: player who were more or less than the sum of their skills 

Post#4 » by penbeast0 » Mon Apr 4, 2022 8:54 pm

I was thinking Gerald Green or Rex Chapman (quicks, hops, 3 point shooting, and yet never put it together).

At the other end of the spectrum, guys like Adrian Dantley or Cedric Maxwell who really put a lot more out there than you would think they had just watching them at combines.
“Most people use statistics like a drunk man uses a lamppost; more for support than illumination,” Andrew Lang.
User avatar
Texas Chuck
Senior Mod - NBA TnT Forum
Senior Mod - NBA TnT Forum
Posts: 92,417
And1: 98,309
Joined: May 19, 2012
Location: Purgatory
   

Re: player who were more or less than the sum of their skills 

Post#5 » by Texas Chuck » Mon Apr 4, 2022 9:57 pm

Al Horford is a guy who doesn't wow you with really anything, but has been a really high level player for a long time. Paul Milsap, his former running mate another guy like that. T
ThunderBolt wrote:I’m going to let some of you in on a little secret I learned on realgm. If you don’t like a thread, not only do you not have to comment but you don’t even have to open it and read it. You’re welcome.
falcolombardi
General Manager
Posts: 9,510
And1: 7,113
Joined: Apr 13, 2021
       

Re: player who were more or less than the sum of their skills 

Post#6 » by falcolombardi » Mon Apr 4, 2022 10:07 pm

Owly wrote:This might depend a lot on what you consider a "skill" (e.g. court awareness? athleticism? etc).


i consider basketball intellicence, size or athletism as skills for the purpose s of this thread
User avatar
BenoUdrihFTL
RealGM
Posts: 10,701
And1: 23,489
Joined: Feb 20, 2013
Location: Papa John's
 

Re: player who were more or less than the sum of their skills 

Post#7 » by BenoUdrihFTL » Tue Apr 5, 2022 1:38 am

Nic Batum is a multiskilled and versatile guy who checks all the physical boxes and seemingly could do it all in theory, yet he's never made the progression to All-Star caliber

On the flip side; Jimmy Butler is a guy with (relatively) short arms and mediocre athleticism whose 3pt shooting skills have completely abandoned him, yet he consistently delivers All-Star caliber numbers and All-NBA caliber impact
1.61803398874989484820458683436563811772030917980576286
2135448622705260462818902449707207
204189391137484754088
0753868917521
26633862
22353
693
User avatar
Mogspan
Pro Prospect
Posts: 871
And1: 1,579
Joined: Apr 13, 2018

Re: player who were more or less than the sum of their skills 

Post#8 » by Mogspan » Tue Apr 5, 2022 4:11 am

BenoUdrihFTL wrote:Nic Batum is a multiskilled and versatile guy who checks all the physical boxes and seemingly could do it all in theory, yet he's never made the progression to All-Star caliber

On the flip side; Jimmy Butler is a guy with (relatively) short arms and mediocre athleticism whose 3pt shooting skills have completely abandoned him, yet he consistently delivers All-Star caliber numbers and All-NBA caliber impact


Jimmy is way above average athletically for the NBA.
Also, something that might surprise people. I think when it comes to athleticism, agility, physical attributes and skill I rate LeBron only in the top 50.
colts18
Head Coach
Posts: 7,434
And1: 3,256
Joined: Jun 29, 2009

Re: player who were more or less than the sum of their skills 

Post#9 » by colts18 » Tue Apr 5, 2022 4:17 am

Evan Turner should have been Scottie Pippen. He had all of Pippen's skills in college. I still can't figure out why he never made it.
Im Your Father
Senior
Posts: 581
And1: 263
Joined: Jul 17, 2014

Re: player who were more or less than the sum of their skills 

Post#10 » by Im Your Father » Tue Apr 5, 2022 5:18 pm

I think Kyrie is the perfect example of this. He's GOAT level at pretty much any skill you can practice alone in your back yard. Not a GOAT level player though.

Return to Player Comparisons