How was Jerry West off the ball?

[TT8198]

I know with limited footage there's no clear answers without seeing him but just curious if anyone knows of Jerry West skills off the ball?

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[70sFan]

He was well adept at playing off-ball (especially as a cutter and decision maker after defense collapsing), but a lot of people view him in Steph Curry mold and that's just not who he was.

[TT8198]

He was well adept at playing off-ball (especially as a cutter and decision maker after defense collapsing), but a lot of people view him in Steph Curry mold and that's just not who he was.

Thanks for answering. From footage I've seen alot of his damage is done with the ball in his hands I haven't seen much footage of him scoring off the ball. I know he definitely isn't in the class of Curry or even Havlicek but would you consider it a strength of his or what tier would you put him in off the ball?

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[Doctor MJ]

I know with limited footage there's no clear answers without seeing him but just curious if anyone knows of Jerry West skills off the ball?

Sent from my SM-G975U using RealGM mobile app

I'm not the best with finding specific old footage, but the '68-69 season is the one where I'd suggest looking. The Lakers that year implemented a Princeton-style offense which produced the best ORtg in NBA history to that time despite the fact that West missed a lot of time, and the drop off without West was big.

I'd probably go so far as to say that West would be my top guy to pick if I were looking to take someone pre-Bird and have them play off ball on the perimeter. (On ball, I'd take Oscar, followed by West.)

[penbeast0]

He was well adept at playing off-ball (especially as a cutter and decision maker after defense collapsing), but a lot of people view him in Steph Curry mold and that's just not who he was.

Thanks for answering. From footage I've seen alot of his damage is done with the ball in his hands I haven't seen much footage of him scoring off the ball. I know he definitely isn't in the class of Curry or even Havlicek but would you consider it a strength of his or what tier would you put him in off the ball?

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Actually far better than Havlicek at scoring off ball, though Havlicek's motor was GOAT level. Havlicek could run forever but he just wasn't a terribly good shooter in the 60s. By the 70s, he was above league average as a shooter and working far more on-ball than he had in the 60s but early on, Hondo's value was his energy on both ends, not his shooting. West could shoot.

For his era, he was the closest thing to Curry. For his era is a significant qualifier though with no 3 point shot and tighter reffing on catch and shoot.

[70sFan]

He was well adept at playing off-ball (especially as a cutter and decision maker after defense collapsing), but a lot of people view him in Steph Curry mold and that's just not who he was.

Thanks for answering. From footage I've seen alot of his damage is done with the ball in his hands I haven't seen much footage of him scoring off the ball. I know he definitely isn't in the class of Curry or even Havlicek but would you consider it a strength of his or what tier would you put him in off the ball?

Sent from my SM-G975U using RealGM mobile app

Actually far better than Havlicek at scoring off ball, though Havlicek's motor was GOAT level. Havlicek could run forever but he just wasn't a terribly good shooter in the 60s. By the 70s, he was above league average as a shooter and working far more on-ball than he had in the 60s but early on, Hondo's value was his energy on both ends, not his shooting. West could shoot.

For his era, he was the closest thing to Curry. For his era is a significant qualifier though with no 3 point shot and tighter reffing on catch and shoot.

Hondo played way more off-ball than West though and by 1970s I'd definitely call him a very good shooter. He wasn't ultra efficient, but that's because Hondo scored almost all of his points from jumpshots.

[70sFan]

I know with limited footage there's no clear answers without seeing him but just curious if anyone knows of Jerry West skills off the ball?

Sent from my SM-G975U using RealGM mobile app

I'm not the best with finding specific old footage, but the '68-69 season is the one where I'd suggest looking. The Lakers that year implemented a Princeton-style offense which produced the best ORtg in NBA history to that time despite the fact that West missed a lot of time, and the drop off without West was big.

I'd probably go so far as to say that West would be my top guy to pick if I were looking to take someone pre-Bird and have them play off ball on the perimeter. (On ball, I'd take Oscar, followed by West.)

I think you meant 1968/68.

Still, West was mostly an on-ball player during that season from what I have seen (which, to be fair was quite limited collection of footage). A lot of players back then utilized their off-ball play more than West. It doesn't mean they were better at that, but it's something worth mentioning.

[Doctor MJ]

I know with limited footage there's no clear answers without seeing him but just curious if anyone knows of Jerry West skills off the ball?

Sent from my SM-G975U using RealGM mobile app

I'm not the best with finding specific old footage, but the '68-69 season is the one where I'd suggest looking. The Lakers that year implemented a Princeton-style offense which produced the best ORtg in NBA history to that time despite the fact that West missed a lot of time, and the drop off without West was big.

I'd probably go so far as to say that West would be my top guy to pick if I were looking to take someone pre-Bird and have them play off ball on the perimeter. (On ball, I'd take Oscar, followed by West.)

I think you meant 1968/68.

Still, West was mostly an on-ball player during that season from what I have seen (which, to be fair was quite limited collection of footage). A lot of players back then utilized their off-ball play more than West. It doesn't mean they were better at that, but it's something worth mentioning.

Ah, yeah I meant '67-68.

Do you not see a significant difference that year compared to earlier years for West?

[70sFan]

I'm not the best with finding specific old footage, but the '68-69 season is the one where I'd suggest looking. The Lakers that year implemented a Princeton-style offense which produced the best ORtg in NBA history to that time despite the fact that West missed a lot of time, and the drop off without West was big.

I'd probably go so far as to say that West would be my top guy to pick if I were looking to take someone pre-Bird and have them play off ball on the perimeter. (On ball, I'd take Oscar, followed by West.)

I think you meant 1968/68.

Still, West was mostly an on-ball player during that season from what I have seen (which, to be fair was quite limited collection of footage). A lot of players back then utilized their off-ball play more than West. It doesn't mean they were better at that, but it's something worth mentioning.

Ah, yeah I meant '67-68.

Do you not see a significant difference that year compared to earlier years for West?

I don't, but this season is one of the seasons that I have the least footage out of West prime, so I wouldn't put too much weight in my opinion.

[Doctor MJ]

I think you meant 1968/68.

Still, West was mostly an on-ball player during that season from what I have seen (which, to be fair was quite limited collection of footage). A lot of players back then utilized their off-ball play more than West. It doesn't mean they were better at that, but it's something worth mentioning.

Ah, yeah I meant '67-68.

Do you not see a significant difference that year compared to earlier years for West?

I don't, but this season is one of the seasons that I have the least footage out of West prime, so I wouldn't put too much weight in my opinion.

I look forward to hearing more of your assessment as you gain access to more film.

[70sFan]

Ah, yeah I meant '67-68.

Do you not see a significant difference that year compared to earlier years for West?

I don't, but this season is one of the seasons that I have the least footage out of West prime, so I wouldn't put too much weight in my opinion.

I look forward to hearing more of your assessment as you gain access to more film.

I hope to get something from that season next month.