Better basketball player : Ant or Drexler

[EmpireFalls]

If Ant continues on the path with his playmaking and proves this insane 3 point shotmaking isn’t a fluke?

Pretty easily Ant. I think he has a higher ceiling than Clyde ever had. But if we’re comparing them just as what they’ve shown, no, he hasn’t surpassed Clyde.

[EmpireFalls]

I'm sensing a pattern: every modern player > every older player (and it's not even close)

C'mon bruv what are we doing here

Well, that's inherently more likely when you consider how much better today's game is.

I think you're vastly overrating the speed at which the league and/or the human race evolves. Hopefully you realize the latter is completely inconsequential. As for the former- the expanding international player pool- let's put it into perspective.

The league was 7.6% international in '98 and has since risen to 23%. So your argument hinges on a 15.4% increase in international representation. Do you not see how silly that is? The vast majority of talent is still US-driven, which is a pool that hasn't expanded meaningfully in what, 40 years? I teach statistics for a living and I'll tell you, the numbers don't support your conclusion the way you seem to think.

The last 6 MVPs are all international, and the unanimous top 3 players in the world (Jokic, SGA, Giannis) are all international as well.

so I’d have to push back on your assertion that “the vast majority of talent is still US-driven”. The high end talent in this league is no longer American-born.

In fact the situation is more dire than most realize.

I could very easily make an argument that if Luka and Wemby get healthy next year, the US won’t have a single player in the top 5. With Tatum injured there’s no one on that level.

[Hair Jordan]

Ant by far

I'm sensing a pattern: every modern player > every older player (and it's not even close)

C'mon bruv what are we doing here

Well, that's inherently more likely when you consider how much better today's game is.

Ant has 4 points at halftime of a must win game 4 for Minnesota right now. Care to revise your opinion?

[One_and_Done]

I'm sensing a pattern: every modern player > every older player (and it's not even close)

C'mon bruv what are we doing here

Well, that's inherently more likely when you consider how much better today's game is.

Ant has 4 points at halftime of a must win game 4 for Minnesota right now. Care to revise your opinion?

How many points you score doesn't necessarily indicate how much impact you are having. More importantly, Drexler would have much more trouble against this Thunder team. The issue isn't that Ant is bad, it's that the Thunder are really good.

[GSP]

Clyde for now.

I still feel like the idea of Ant the player doesn't really correlate with the player he actually is. Like his impact numbers in the RS don't scream 'face of the league' nor in the playoffs. His last 2 playoff series were good, but they weren't outstanding or anything.

But he's been really good the past 2 games vs OKC.

This is very accurate. Ant was dominant last game ppl remember that game 4 performance as if its his baseline avg level. Then next game its 16pts on 13 shots, 5 turnovers. He had 2pts at halftime. But these offnights arent factored in as much as the highs for Ant. Hes still really inconsistent and goes through stretches, quarters even halves barely doing much

[TheGOATRises007]

Clyde for now.

I still feel like the idea of Ant the player doesn't really correlate with the player he actually is. Like his impact numbers in the RS don't scream 'face of the league' nor in the playoffs. His last 2 playoff series were good, but they weren't outstanding or anything.

But he's been really good the past 2 games vs OKC.

This post looks even better after the game.

The media would have you think ANT is a top 5 player in the league. He's just not on that level. He can still get better.

[One_and_Done]

Clyde for now.

I still feel like the idea of Ant the player doesn't really correlate with the player he actually is. Like his impact numbers in the RS don't scream 'face of the league' nor in the playoffs. His last 2 playoff series were good, but they weren't outstanding or anything.

But he's been really good the past 2 games vs OKC.

This post looks even better after the game.

The media would have you think ANT is a top 5 player in the league. He's just not on that level. He can still get better.

The Thunder just posted the highest SRS of all-time, and the 2nd highest net rating of all-time, and have been posting similar numbers in the playoffs. Clyde would have been eaten alive by this defence.

[TheGOATRises007]

Clyde for now.

I still feel like the idea of Ant the player doesn't really correlate with the player he actually is. Like his impact numbers in the RS don't scream 'face of the league' nor in the playoffs. His last 2 playoff series were good, but they weren't outstanding or anything.

But he's been really good the past 2 games vs OKC.

This post looks even better after the game.

The media would have you think ANT is a top 5 player in the league. He's just not on that level. He can still get better.

The Thunder just posted the highest SRS of all-time, and the 2nd highest net rating of all-time, and have been posting similar numbers in the playoffs. Clyde would have been eaten alive by this defence.

Maybe and maybe not. I have no way of knowing how Clyde would adjust.

You have no way of knowing and you posting statements as absolute facts on here is annoying.

This isn't TikTok. Stop acting like you know it all.

[One_and_Done]

This post looks even better after the game.

The media would have you think ANT is a top 5 player in the league. He's just not on that level. He can still get better.

The Thunder just posted the highest SRS of all-time, and the 2nd highest net rating of all-time, and have been posting similar numbers in the playoffs. Clyde would have been eaten alive by this defence.

Maybe and maybe not. I have no way of knowing how Clyde would adjust.

You have no way of knowing and you posting statements as absolute facts on here is annoying.

This isn't TikTok. Stop acting like you know it all.

I think it's pretty obvious. You acting like Ant should not be affected at all by the greatest defense of all-time is the more outlandish view.

[TheGOATRises007]

The Thunder just posted the highest SRS of all-time, and the 2nd highest net rating of all-time, and have been posting similar numbers in the playoffs. Clyde would have been eaten alive by this defence.

Maybe and maybe not. I have no way of knowing how Clyde would adjust.

You have no way of knowing and you posting statements as absolute facts on here is annoying.

This isn't TikTok. Stop acting like you know it all.

I think it's pretty obvious. You acting like Ant should not be affected at all by the greatest defense of all-time is the more outlandish view.

My views on ANT weren't even solely based on this series.

Read my posts more clearly next time.

[OhayoKD]

Ant is a much better player than clyde.

[fanofthegreats]

Clyde Drexler had zero on the ball basketball talent. This is a joke comparison, as were most of perimeter superstars from the 90s.

[f4p]

Clyde for now.

I still feel like the idea of Ant the player doesn't really correlate with the player he actually is. Like his impact numbers in the RS don't scream 'face of the league' nor in the playoffs. His last 2 playoff series were good, but they weren't outstanding or anything.

But he's been really good the past 2 games vs OKC.

This is very accurate. Ant was dominant last game ppl remember that game 4 performance as if its his baseline avg level. Then next game its 16pts on 13 shots, 5 turnovers. He had 2pts at halftime. But these offnights arent factored in as much as the highs for Ant. Hes still really inconsistent and goes through stretches, quarters even halves barely doing much

Yeah I'm trying to think of someone recent where the way they're regarded is always based on their last good game (kind of the anti harden treatment). Every time he scores 30 he's the face of the league and every off night just falls away.

[Jaivl]

Clyde for now.

I still feel like the idea of Ant the player doesn't really correlate with the player he actually is. Like his impact numbers in the RS don't scream 'face of the league' nor in the playoffs. His last 2 playoff series were good, but they weren't outstanding or anything.

But he's been really good the past 2 games vs OKC.

This is very accurate. Ant was dominant last game ppl remember that game 4 performance as if its his baseline avg level. Then next game its 16pts on 13 shots, 5 turnovers. He had 2pts at halftime. But these offnights arent factored in as much as the highs for Ant. Hes still really inconsistent and goes through stretches, quarters even halves barely doing much

Yeah I'm trying to think of someone recent where the way they're regarded is always based on their last good game (kind of the anti harden treatment). Every time he scores 30 he's the face of the league and every off night just falls away.

KD

[tsherkin]

[
Drexler today wouldn’t be anywhere near considered in the running for a top two player in the league. He wasn’t the second best player that year either, but they needed some sort of rivalry with Jordan in a league that did not have very many outstanding wing players.

TBF, no one sane considers Ant a top-2 player in the league today either, so that isn't super relevant.

[SHAQ32]

Relative to eras, Drexler easily

[penbeast0]

I look primarily at in era play rather than try to compare league's other than an adjustment factor for talent pool/number of teams. Given that:

Ant's regular season this year may have been competitive with any Drexler regular season but not clearly better; prior to this year he wasn't up to that level. Similarly, Ant's postseason runs from the last 2 years have also been at a level equal to Drexler's best, though again, not clearly better.

Thus it comes down to how you rate their non-box impact including defense. I don't have +/- type numbers for Drexler except for his post-prime Houston years. Clearly Drexler stayed at this level for a long time, Edward is just reaching his prime and may still exceed Drexler or he may stay at this level like Drexler did, or he may decline. We don't know.

[penbeast0]

Clyde Drexler had zero on the ball basketball talent. This is a joke comparison, as were most of perimeter superstars from the 90s.

You sure you don't mean off the ball? Drexler was much better with the ball in his hands than as a catch and shoot scorer; probably Ant's most significant edge over him.

[OhayoKD]

Ant played fine in game 4 lol. OKC's all-time defense sold out to keep his stats low and the result was them nearly losing to an all-time team wide offensive performance.

[Djoker]

Time machine arguments are pointless.

Drexler was the better basketball player in his era than Ant in this era. Ant has a ton of talent but so far he hasn't reached the level of peak Clyde. As for all-time defenses, Clyde himself faced them too like the Bad Boys in 1990, Bulls in 1992...