David Thompson Gets Overlooked As A Leaper

[SHAQ32]

I'd say someone like Antoine Carr was someone that was overlooked. Definitely not David Thompson.

[TroubleS0me]

you forgot about Drexler ..

[Bwelc679]

If I learned anything about Thompson as a scorer, it was that he was really good at making contested jumpers because he could just elevate over defenders. Here is my (unecessarily negative) scouting report from a few years ago.

I think I'm becoming infamous for bumping old threads, but as someone who gets lost in NBA player rabbit holes on the regular, it happens from time to time.
This time, I've been consuming as much David Thompson data, lore and media I can gather while waiting for the finals to start. That's what brought me to this piece of Internet history.

I felt like I had to respond to what you already agreed is an "unnecessarily negative" scouting report, because it's so blatantly wrong.

Thompson was far from "strictly a scoring guard". You started by saying he lacked the handle to maneuver past his defender "like Julius Erving" which is bizarre considering Dr.J was the one without a handle. Julius wasn't dribbling much and his length didn't help him as he lacked ball handling moves to shake defenders. He strictly used the first step which was incredible but not as fast as Thompsons. We should mention that dribbling rules and the ball of that era made it much more difficult to do any form of dribbling. This is why despite practicing his handle more than any one ever, Pistol Pete highlights still lool awkward because his hand has to be directly on top of the ball. They would both be much better ball handlers today with the evolution of the game, but Thompson absolutely had a handle and was better than Dr.J at using it to shake defenders.

You said his only time to show Thompson's elite athletic ability was in the open court? Did you watch any film of Thompson? He was always the first option in the half court offense and would face up from just inside the three, rip through, then highlight his otherworldly first step and blow past everyone to get to the rim. When it came to finishing, he had all the English, coordination and skill to get buckets on the occasions that he couldn't get a dunk. He also had great touch that he used for bank shots to go along with that signature one dribble pull-up unstoppable mid range jumper. His midrange jumper was similar to Jordan and Kobe with that high elevation.

He may not have been an elite passer but he was more than competent as a play maker with his 4.5 APG peak and always at least 3APG during his prime. He had some sneaky beautiful looks where he would find finishers after taking the double or triple team. He was a very unselfish player. Even if he wasn't dropping a ton of assists, he still was a playmaker in the half court with his ability to create his own looks. He didn't need to be set up to score.

The last part where you said he was a below average defender who didn't give much effort is absolutely ridiculous and is enough proof to show that you really didn't watch more than maybe 2-3 clips of Thompson on YouTube. I mean, really? Thompson was an excellent man to man defender who other than D.Wade is arguably the best shot blocking guard of all time. He would get so high on his contests and was very good at blocking without fouling which is rare for his size. Nobody was quicker than Thompson so he stayed in front of his man and to say he didn't give effort is a blatant lie. Thompson was a team first player who all of his teammates praise for his unselfish hard work on the court. He was only 6'4" playing on the perimeter yet he still would give you 5rpg and would fly in for offensive put backs (the most valuable rebound there is). With his awareness and shot blocking skills, he would provide another level of rim protection if he played in today's era that would make him such a valuable two way player.

I am far from an "expert" on anything but I can't help but think you just copied some anecdotes or watched a few clips and made up your mind on Thompson without actually looking into it. If you are ranking players by something like "three to five year peaks" then Thompson is a top 10 shooting guard of all time. Jordan, Logo, Kobe, Wade, SGA and Harden are the only guys I would say are clearly ahead of him. Then you have a bunch of guys all competing but Thompson could be seven (Yes, Logo and Harden could be considered point guards. SGA is called a PG but let's be real, he's a scoring guard).

I see Thompsons modern comp as Donovan Mitchell. Similar size and game. I believe Thompson would be a knock down three point shooter if he played in this era too but who knows? Thompson is an even better athlete then Spida. Two ballers under 6'5" who have scored 70 points in one game. Pretty special.

I have Thompson as significantly more athletic and more of a scorer than Mitchell. Thompson had that great athleticism and leaping to block shots but so did George Gervin, didn't make him a great defender. More an inconsistent one with some strong stretches and some bad ones. Before the drugs, I would say a better defender than Gervin who took a lot of possessions off, but people also remember the years where the cocaine was pushing him into even less focus on that end and he was an absolute sieve.

I won't argue with that. I think he was a better athlete and scorer than Mitchell too. His efficiency was very impressive but I was trying to think of the best modern comparison. Do you think there is a better comp?

Out of curiosity? What do you think makes him a "significantly" better scorer? I love watching film on Skywalker to this day whenever I can get my hands on it. He was so good at capturing space and moving off ball. Still, I'm impressed with Mitchells scoring instincts and how he raises the intensity in the playoffs even early in his career as a scoring machine. I imagine Thompson would be just as good as a three point shooter if he played today but what do you think would make him better AND do you think at his peak he would lead the current NBA in scoring (with the idea that he would have the training and comfort with shooting threes and playing in today's style) since you think he's better than Mitchell who has such a high average?

It is interesting how many blocks Gervin accumulated during his career but his were a product of his size and long lanky arms which is a stark contrast from Skywalker's leaping and in your face athletic ability. I agree that blocked shots don't make you a good defender (probably even less than steals do) but during his (incredibly short) peak, I saw Thompson as being a much better defender than Gervin. You are right to point out the "possessions off" that the Iceman would frustratingly take but I don't remember that from peak Thompson. His "after coke" years aren't even something I take into consideration because he was a completely different player. During those prime seasons, I believe he was an above average man to man defender who used that elite athletic ability to compete on both sides of the floor. I actually think he would be perfect for the modern era on this side of the ball too because he had a lot of the same attributes that D.Wade had. Unfortunately for David, in an era where guards weren't making rotations and just played straight man defense, he only got to display these abilities on rare occasions.

[penbeast0]

The athleticism is what I think puts Thompson above Mitchell as a scorer. Being that athletic opens up a whole bag of tricks you can learn that less athletic players don't have as options.