Which player has the least flaws in their game?

[JimmyFromNz]

This conversation probably favours swingman a little if looking at pure skillsets, and modern players given the breadth of skill they need in todays game e.g. shooting when comparing across early 70/80s eras.

Paul George came to mind for current players. Prime Chris Paul sticks out, scoring at 3 levels, playmaking and defensive instincts, depends on whether size is something you account for at the point guard position.

Early-mid 2000s, Brandon Roy in his short window of play was also definitely there, Chauncey Billups although lacking scoring heat off the dribble was as well rounded (flawless) of a player as any.

On an all time spectrum, Kobe Bryant is alongside MJ - partly why the mainstream fandom rates him so highly in my opinion.

[Peregrine01]

I think in today’s game it might actually be Steph.

That's ridiculous. Curry is a 6'2 guard, by definition he can't be that guy. Obvious answers are players like Jokic, Lebron, KG, Pippen, Pierce, Bird, etc. Guys who could realistically play every position without glaring weaknesses, who can shoot/take care of the ball/rebound/defend the perimeter and inside/etc.

I think the very obvious answer here is Lebron. If you'd score every facet of an NBA player's game out of 100 I don't think you'd find a player with a higher score than Lebron. There are obviously better interior defenders, better off-ball players, better pure shooters, but in terms of all-round elite capability? Definitely him. KG is also an incredibly all-round elite player.

Jokic is the most interesting modern day player who I immediately think about.

People saying the question is subjective are just looking for a reason to name their homer pick like Curry or CP3. There's nothing subjective about the question.

Jokic's defense precludes him from "flawless" and even offensively his ball-handling is lacking compared to your typical all-time great offensive centerpiece.

I don't really see Curry as incapable if we're counting Jokic. Jokic's defense is a bigger "flaw" at his position and defense is the main reason being short is a disadvantage(offensively, the greatest offenses ever came from someone who was significantly less imposing than Curry). On that note if we're going to throw people out based on physical profile, Bird's deficits in athleticism and lateral agility are bigger concerns to me than Steph's height and you pair that with not being able to run things as a primary ball-handler and I don't see how he's "flawless" even just looking at offense(his shooting also dipped in the playoffs on pretty low volume) if we're not counting Steph.

Perhaps we have a different interpretation of the question. I'm not saying that he's the best player in today's game, which I think is Jokic or Giannis at this point. I take it to meaning which guy has the least flaws that can most prevent a team from winning a championship? And I think it's Steph in today's game.

This is dead on arrival if you consider defensive attributes with a higher standard than "is not a negative". Regardless...

Unlike Bron who needs to control everything like a football quarterback, Curry plays in a way that doesn't take anything off the table for his teammates.

Uh...no. Maybe you're thinking of Luka or Harden? Lebron was literally just spacing the floor for a reeve/deangelo-run offense a few days ago. Lebron isn't a league-topper in "time with the ball" and was producing pretty good results in minutes with players like Westbrook.

There's just no significant exploitable weaknesses in Curry's game today. There used to be with how frail he was - but not anymore.

Inside scoring, post-scoring, passing, and interior gravity are all significant limitations for him compared to other offensive engines.

We also still haven't seen steph have this success outside of a structured system where his teammate runs things on both ends. For all this talk of port and ceiling riasing, the warriors have been more of a defensive dynasty than an offensive one and curry flatly does not stack up to Lebron as postseason engine via a box or impact lens despite more optimal conditions to look good in both. For whatever reason people seem to think Curry and Lebron are comparable scorers so I think it bears reminding what their actual numbers look like(making no adjustment whatsoever for teammate support, or lebron playing more minutes...)

Lebron is more efficient on higher volume with less help and has managed to lead outright better playoff offenses and he's able to scale his volume up without his effeciency dropping when he has to pick up the slack(2009, 2012-2014 with wade out). Lebron is also a better ball-handler and an at least as effective as a creator(though Lebron's creation has been tested in a variety of contexts while Steph was unable to read league-topping creation before kerr came around and draymond ascended).

Offense-only, Curry vs Lebron is a good discussion in the regular season, but the postseason swings things rather clearly for Lebron imo and I'm not sure how you can say curry is "flawless" without just putting a shitton of emphasis on shooting

You seem to have missed that I said "of current players".

Agreed that prime Bron (or MJ) is probably the least flawed player of all-time.

[EmpireFalls]

Cannot believe it’s the 3rd page of the thread and I’m the first person to name the Big O.

Oscar is actually the “no flaws” player that Kobe, MJ, LBJ, KD, and now seemingly CP3 fans believe their idols are.

What are we doing here? Oscar could do absolutely everything on the basketball court at an elite level.

[Texas Chuck]

Cannot believe it’s the 3rd page of the thread and I’m the first person to name the Big O.

What are we doing here?

You shouldn't believe that because several people have named him. Not sure how you could have read the thread and missed that actually.

[EmpireFalls]

Cannot believe it’s the 3rd page of the thread and I’m the first person to name the Big O.

What are we doing here?

You shouldn't believe that because several people have named him. Not sure how you could have read the thread and missed that actually.

I’ve seen a lot of Oscar but not Big O.

Anyways, Oscar Schmidt is the real correct answer.

[Heej]

A little weird to bring him up but watching this game, I honestly think Booker is one of those guys. He's not too small and every other part of his game is clean and efficient and can pick apart whatever the defense gives him. But if rim protecting is something you feel disqualifies him then it seems this question can only be answered with an all time wing like LeBron that can do that and run the offense

[NO-KG-AI]

It's pretty clearly Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Whoever is 3rd might be a decent gap.

CP3 right now might have the most bulletproof game in terms of shooting touch, ball handling, deft passing, IQ, instincts, hustle, etc. But size, age and athleticism are definitely flaws and definitely exploitable.