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Watching Jalen Williams score 40 last night I couldn't help but get Elgin Baylor vibes and made me think how great Elgin Baylor would be in todays NBA.

Bare with me on its face this looks like a crazy comparison but it's not as far off as you think.
They both are 6'5 scorefirst athletic undersized forwards with a good all around game. Jalen Williams craftiness at getting to the rim is very Baylor-esque.

Watching Jalen Williams i have no doubt Elgin Baylor would thrive in todays NBA in his prime with his athleticism, craftniess, and all around game. Do you guys see the comparison or am I reaching? And how do you guys think Elgin Baylor would fare today?



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With saner minutes and shooting volume, Baylor probably would have looked better. He could dribble, he could slash, he could shoot reasonably well, but wasn't a stunner (even in his own era). The injury didn't do him any favors.

Tempo wouldn't really change anything because obviously the 60s were fast as all get out. He could finish through contact, he could post, had some trick layup touch. Was a pretty nasty one-handed passer. He had no-lookers and that little right-left no-look thing Magic liked to do 20 years later. Obviously rebounded well. He had at least 20 feet of range and was like a near-80% FT shooter over his career, so he could PROBABLY step out and hit like 35, 36% on 3 or 4 of them in today's game.

He'd be pretty good. Dunno if he'd be viewed the same way as he was in his own time, because I don't think he stands out athletically nearly as much and he wouldn't be quite as capable of playing almost a PF game at 6'5 but he'd still be good.

Looked for the quote but couldn't find it. Apparently, in addition to the athleticism (1st NBA skywalker comments are common), he also had some sort of a twitch or tick that opponents would react to like DWade with his head fakes, getting them jumping at the wrong time. So add that to the mix.

No comp is 1 to 1, but I can see it here quite easily, good comparison.

TT8198 wrote:Watching Jalen Williams score 40 last night I couldn't help but get Elgin Baylor vibes and made me think how great Elgin Baylor would be in todays NBA.

Bare with me on its face this looks like a crazy comparison but it's not as far off as you think.
They both are 6'5 scorefirst athletic undersized forwards with a good all around game. Jalen Williams craftiness at getting to the rim is very Baylor-esque.

Watching Jalen Williams i have no doubt Elgin Baylor would thrive in todays NBA in his prime with his athleticism, craftniess, and all around game. Do you guys see the comparison or am I reaching? And how do you guys think Elgin Baylor would fare today?



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I was thinking similarly but with a different player in mind: Kawhi Leonard.

I would consider Baylor to be a far more spectacular player than either Kawhi or Dub, and his penchant for Globetrotter-esque passes were a bit part of that. By contrast, I see Kawhi & Dub as guys with exceptionally strong bodies geared toward defense (which Baylor wasn't), and who aren't typically all that spectacular out there.

Where Kawhi & Dub differ is that Kawhi really became a superstar with him getting better and better as a shooter, whereas I see Dub right now getting better and better as a finisher. One might say that as Dub gets better as a finisher he'll also get more spectacular and that's true, but I don't see him as a natural showman then way Baylor was.

Doctor MJ wrote:I was thinking similarly but with a different player in mind: Kawhi Leonard.

I would consider Baylor to be a far more spectacular player than either Kawhi or Dub, and his penchant for Globetrotter-esque passes were a bit part of that. By contrast, I see Kawhi & Dub as guys with exceptionally strong bodies geared toward defense (which Baylor wasn't), and who aren't typically all that spectacular out there.

Yeah, Kawhi's the Tim Duncan of the wing, for sure. He makes the "boring" and simple plays, but he just murders you with them.

Doctor MJ wrote:

TT8198 wrote:Watching Jalen Williams score 40 last night I couldn't help but get Elgin Baylor vibes and made me think how great Elgin Baylor would be in todays NBA.

Bare with me on its face this looks like a crazy comparison but it's not as far off as you think.
They both are 6'5 scorefirst athletic undersized forwards with a good all around game. Jalen Williams craftiness at getting to the rim is very Baylor-esque.

Watching Jalen Williams i have no doubt Elgin Baylor would thrive in todays NBA in his prime with his athleticism, craftniess, and all around game. Do you guys see the comparison or am I reaching? And how do you guys think Elgin Baylor would fare today?



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I was thinking similarly but with a different player in mind: Kawhi Leonard.

I would consider Baylor to be a far more spectacular player than either Kawhi or Dub, and his penchant for Globetrotter-esque passes were a bit part of that. By contrast, I see Kawhi & Dub as guys with exceptionally strong bodies geared toward defense (which Baylor wasn't), and who aren't typically all that spectacular out there.

Where Kawhi & Dub differ is that Kawhi really became a superstar with him getting better and better as a shooter, whereas I see Dub right now getting better and better as a finisher. One might say that as Dub gets better as a finisher he'll also get more spectacular and that's true, but I don't see him as a natural showman then way Baylor was.

I still think J Dub is more akin to Baylor than Kawhi because of the similar build and size. Also J Dub is also showing flashes as a playmaker which is more like Baylor just not as flashy. Kawhi's playmaking still leaves more to be desired for me. Also as you stated J Dubs finishing and the craftiness he's starting to finish with is very Baylor-esque

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