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Which duo would you rather build around in today's league?

Jordan/Hakeem. That’s arguably two top 5 players ever.

Easy, peasy... MJ and Hakeem. Best guard ever + best big ever. Easier to build around MJ-Hakeem too, since all you need is three basic 3&D guys around them, while Steph and Lebron will need more high level talent around them.

LAL1947 wrote:Easy, peasy... MJ and Hakeem. Best guard ever + best big ever. Easier to build around MJ-Hakeem too, since all you need is three basic 3&D guys around them, while Steph and Lebron will need more high level talent around them.

Hmm...this is interesting. LeBron brought weak teams to the NBA finals in 2007 and 2018 with extremely mediocre supporting casts.

Curry won a championship this year without any all-nba players on his team.

Outside of 1991, Jordan always had an all-nba player on his team when he made the Finals.

I'm today's league I tend to lean into the duo whose skill-set is best suited for the current era and because the players have proven they can win in this landscape while Jordan and Hakeem would have questions regarding how they would adapt.

On one side i think curry and lebron are more complementary on offense

On the other hand, hakeem defensive value means he doesnt need to have a perfect symbiosis with jordan in offense to retain most of his value

Could go either way tbh but i think scorer and rim protector is an even more ideal duo than on ball creator and off ball threat

I think that defensive versatility of the older duo is too massive to pass it up. Not sure about their fit on offense, but I guess they would make it work.

Curry and James would be amazing though, nothing wrong with taking them.

From ages 25-33 (prime years)

Jordan & Hakeem
BPM 16.4
WS/48 .480
PER 54.6

Curry & LeBron
BPM 17.5
WS/48 .495
PER 54.8

Not saying that's an end all be all, just that they are very close statistically. It's hard to pass up on Hakeems size and Jordans scoring, but it's also hard to pass on LeBrons versatility as an individual and Curry's ability to play along side anyone.

In the end I'd default to team Jordan, but this is hard.

LAL1947 wrote: Easier to build around MJ-Hakeem too, since all you need is three basic 3&D guys around them, while Steph and Lebron will need more high level talent around them.

I have to disagree with that. Jordan and Hakeem will "need" more offensive talent. Curry and LeBron just need guys that are defensively and mentally competent. They don't even need to be able to put the ball in the basket. You can't ask for better spacing than LeBron and Curry.

Jordan and Hakeem will be smothering on defense. Potentially the greatest defensive duo in history, as Hakeem is nearly a straight upgrade over Pippen. On offense they're both high-usage players who thrive on isolation, which is not an ideal distribution of talent but I think is only an academic weakness. Sort of like saying "the enemy only has infantry" but they're 5 billion deep. Additionally, although both players were strictly 1 position, who doubts Jordan could have played anywhere 1-3 or Hakeem either 4 or 5 if a lineup required/behooved it?

Lebron needs little introduction as an offensive force. He has had multiple iterations in his career but any version of Lebron could have few better teammates than Steph, who is mature enough to survive through any ups and downs but also plays off-ball or on-ball, facilitator or first option, willingly, selflessly and at extremely high levels. Not much to write home about defensively, but it likely won't matter as Curry alone can outscore entire teams for stretches. Being even middling on defense is all that is required and with Lebron they are definitely better than middling.

Can't go wrong really. I voted Steph/Bron because I think they'd be more fun to watch

Hakeem and Jordan are on another level from Curry...pretty easy decision. Its' not like Olajuwon and Jordan are exactly redundant either.

Colbinii wrote:I'm today's league I tend to lean into the duo whose skill-set is best suited for the current era and because the players have proven they can win in this landscape while Jordan and Hakeem would have questions regarding how they would adapt.

What questions would there be regarding them?

I think in today's nba I go with Curry Lebron. We see how they play in the current rules and they're both the most dominant in this modern nba. Lebron has never played with another player that needs a constant double and him getting free rim runs would just be silly. We also know we can plug and play any rim running, rim protecting center for cheap in this era. That right there already makes it easier to build around if you don't have to build around a high usage center.

Hakeem and Jordan are great though. They probably are just as unstoppable but I'd have to see how their heavy isolation games mesh. They both operate out of the same spots and didn't have to go against zone concepts. Jordan said he wouldn't be the same player if zone was allowed. Their defense though probably makes up for any small slip on offense but give me the modern duo in today's nba.

Ein Sof wrote:

Colbinii wrote:I'm today's league I tend to lean into the duo whose skill-set is best suited for the current era and because the players have proven they can win in this landscape while Jordan and Hakeem would have questions regarding how they would adapt.

What questions would there be regarding them?

The fact they didn't play in the most sophisticated and Advanced Era of basketball.

Are we assuming we take Jordan and Hakeem for what they knew when they played and transport them? Or do we all subjectively identify how they would do if they grew up in the modern era?

Colbinii wrote:

Ein Sof wrote:

Colbinii wrote:I'm today's league I tend to lean into the duo whose skill-set is best suited for the current era and because the players have proven they can win in this landscape while Jordan and Hakeem would have questions regarding how they would adapt.

What questions would there be regarding them?

The fact they didn't play in the most sophisticated and Advanced Era of basketball.

Yeah i’m sure the Klay Thompsons and Al Horfords of today would be too “sophisticated” for Jordan and Hakeem to play against .

No-more-rings wrote:

Colbinii wrote:

Ein Sof wrote:What questions would there be regarding them?

The fact they didn't play in the most sophisticated and Advanced Era of basketball.

Yeah i’m sure the Klay Thompsons and Al Horfords of today would be too “sophisticated” for Jordan and Hakeem to play against .

Sometimes I question your cognitive ability. I never said anything about Klay and Horford.

The game of basketball is currently more sophisticated and advanced than ever before. Strategy has never been as optimized and the amount of scouting and research teams do and require players to know and keep on top of is significantly more than the past. There are swaths of databases like Synergy which coaches and scouts are required to scour and teach players.

The NBA players in todays landscape are required to know significantly more about the nuances of the game and strategy than previous eras because of the vast amounts of data they have access to.

Colbinii wrote:

No-more-rings wrote:

Colbinii wrote:
The fact they didn't play in the most sophisticated and Advanced Era of basketball.

Yeah i’m sure the Klay Thompsons and Al Horfords of today would be too “sophisticated” for Jordan and Hakeem to play against .

Sometimes I question your cognitive ability. I never said anything about Klay and Horford.

The game of basketball is currently more sophisticated and advanced than ever before. Strategy has never been as optimized and the amount of scouting and research teams do and require players to know and keep on top of is significantly more than the past. There are swaths of databases like Synergy which coaches and scouts are required to scour and teach players.

The NBA players in todays landscape are required to know significantly more about the nuances of the game and strategy than previous eras because of the vast amounts of data they have access to.

Since the question is about who you build around, I would assume that all 4 players will have access to the same tools, resources, and information day one when they step into the league. There have been significant changes in the game since LeBron entered the league, he's adjusted just fine.

Colbinii wrote:

Ein Sof wrote:

Colbinii wrote:I'm today's league I tend to lean into the duo whose skill-set is best suited for the current era and because the players have proven they can win in this landscape while Jordan and Hakeem would have questions regarding how they would adapt.

What questions would there be regarding them?

The fact they didn't play in the most sophisticated and Advanced Era of basketball.

Are we assuming we take Jordan and Hakeem for what they knew when they played and transport them? Or do we all subjectively identify how they would do if they grew up in the modern era?

Is this just the ol' "Jordan couldn't shoot threes" thing?

Asserting Hakeem and MJ are too dumb to read a scouting report is unconvincing. (and also has little to do with skill-sets)

Jordan/Hakeem might legitimately be the greatest duo ever, besides maybe Jordan/LeBron.