A BB thought experiment I find... interesting. Maybe you do, too.

[Rubios]

Imagine you, as a head coach, are about to face the best defense in the League.
From the recent era. Could be current OKC, Spurs, GSW... you name it.

Your team consists of a bunch of cans, but you can choose ONE player, any player, from the current NBA roster. You could "clone" a player from the opposite team, even.

If your guy scores 50, you win the game.
And let's assume your guy is red hot that given night.

Who do you pick?

[Iwasawitness]

Brian Scalabrine

[tsherkin]

Brian Scalabrine

"Current NBA roster?"

[Iwasawitness]

Brian Scalabrine

"Current NBA roster?"

Brian Scalabrine damn it.

[tsherkin]

Brian Scalabrine

"Current NBA roster?"

Brian Scalabrine damn it.

Very well, then

[Onlytimewilltel]

Ant man probably

[granger05]

Donovan Mitchell has 3 50+ playoff games and Jamaal Murray has a pair. However, Jokic has a single one himself. I think if you told Jokic that the assignment is to get to 50 points then he would get to 50 points right?

[Iwasawitness]

Donovan Mitchell has 3 50+ playoff games and Jamaal Murray has a pair. However, Jokic has a single one himself. I think if you told Jokic that the assignment is to get to 50 points then he would get to 50 points right?

Not if he's playing a top defense though.

[giberish]

Donovan Mitchell has 3 50+ playoff games and Jamaal Murray has a pair. However, Jokic has a single one himself. I think if you told Jokic that the assignment is to get to 50 points then he would get to 50 points right?

Not if he's playing a top defense though.

Is the defense playing straight up, or does the defense also know - if player X gets 50 we lose? Because they'll obviously play very different defense with that knowledge.

[Rubios]

Is the defense playing straight up, or does the defense also know - if player X gets 50 we lose? Because they'll obviously play very different defense with that knowledge.

Uhm... let's say they don't know.

[Rubios]

The answer to my own... whatever this is, would be:

Depending on my gameplan and the defense I'm facing, in no specific order:

Giannis: Scored 50 on a Finals game 6. If the other team can't build "the wall", he's a sledgehammer. If they can force him to shoot, though... we're done.
Luka: A 46 game 7 vs LAC, a 45 game 7 vs Suns... and 73 vs -yep- Atlanta in RS. Plz watch that game, is the most amazing offensive performance I can recall. 25/33 (8/13 from 3).
Jokic: I don't know, he seems able to score big, and very efficiently, if he needs to and vs anyone. Low post, floaters, top of the key, 3s... just not dunking. He put 44 and 42 vs OKC this PS, made a 104 points back-to-back (lol)...

But, assuming (as the OP states) than the player is red hot that given game... maybe KD is still the man for a one night stand.
And, although I wouldn't do it, I can see some of you picking Donovan.
I don't trust Booker anymore.

And, curve ball here: maybe the obvious, correct answer, would be Curry or Lillard.

[JujitsuFlip]

Malachi Flynn.

[KyRo23]

If we’re talking a playing being red hot, you gotta go with Curry, although I’m not sure I understand the scenario very well

[MrGoat]

Against a top defense I'd want a player with enough height to get shots off even against the best defenses, 3 point range, and the ability to hit difficult shots regularly. Dirk is retired so from a pure scoring perspective I'd go with a red hot KD

[Lunartic]

Gotta go with Jokic here, unless it the "elite" defense that OKC is allowed to play and he's just hacked/pushed/slapped all game long.

[jojo4341]

Since the OP specifies the that the defense doesn't know about the stipulation, I'll still go with Steph Curry even at his current age. He just needs to get hot and be more selfish than he normally would.

[Maxthirty]

Donovan Mitchell has 3 50+ playoff games and Jamaal Murray has a pair. However, Jokic has a single one himself. I think if you told Jokic that the assignment is to get to 50 points then he would get to 50 points right?

Not if he's playing a top defense though.

Is the defense playing straight up, or does the defense also know - if player X gets 50 we lose? Because they'll obviously play very different defense with that knowledge.

Exactly. Just put in Zaza.

[picko]

A lot depends on how much information I have as the 'head coach'. Do I know that we win if my player scores 50?

If so, I can work around the fact that my choice might naturally be inclined to share the ball and made traditionally winning plays. If I don't know, then it becomes more difficult.

So let's assume that I know that everything rides on my guy scoring 50. If he's red-hot offensively I don't think there's any plausible defensive scheme that'd slow him down.

If I don't know then the choice has to be someone who is inclined to shoot a lot when they are red-hot. So perhaps Doncic or SGA or Curry.

[boomershadow]

Brian Scalabrine

"Current NBA roster?"

Brian Scalabrine damn it.

I've heard he is pretty close to LeBron tbf

[tsherkin]

"Current NBA roster?"

Brian Scalabrine damn it.

I've heard he is pretty close to LeBron tbf

Scala's closer to Lebron than I am to him where basketball is concerned, that's for sure.