Higher peak in today's league (assume good health): Duncan or Kawhi

[Tomtolbert]

Who do you think would peak higher in today's league? Assume both stay healthy.

[rrravenred]

Honestly think this depends on how you think Duncan's traditional big man game transitions to the modern era. Peak Duncan was certainly mobile enough to provide great post protection and solid offensive production. Doubt he would (even with modern coaching) have extended his range all the way out to the 3, but his inside game and middies would definitely a valued skillset. He's also the quintessential system player, which I think is key to being valuable in today's x and o driven game, without being an amazingly intuitive passer.

Kawhi (even in his dotage) remains the model of a modern wing offensively and remains able to create his own offence in a variety of ways with terrific efficiency. At his peak, think you can reasonably argue that he surpassed Duncan's production (impact is a separate question). Defensively a smothering black hole of annoyance, especially valuable in an era of perimeter-led offenses. Leonard's offensive and defensive peaks remain distinctly separated by some years, which (compared to Duncan 2003) arguably marks him down.

Peronally, think I still take Duncan, although his relative value at peak is arguably a bit lower than it was in his time, but both are (injury/load-management/fictitious shell companis aside) great franchise centrepieces.

[MiamiBulls]

Kawhi Leonard.

Tim Duncan in today's NBA would be a role player Offensively. No team in the 2020s runs the bulk of their Offense through the Low Post & Peak Duncan was a poor outside shooter.

[penbeast0]

They don't run the bulk of the offense through the low post but with the floor spread, many teams use a big as a hub and scorer once they spread the floor with the other 4. Meanwhile Duncan provides more defense and more leadership.

Now, if Kawhi had his best offensive seasons and best defensive seasons at the same time, plus good health, I could take him but he didn't focus nearly as much on defense in his best offensive years.

[Texas Chuck]

yeah Kawhi's offensive and defensive peaks not really coinciding makes this Timmy for me. If you could DPOY caliber Kawhi scoring with his efficiency and volume as a first option, I'd take him, but that player never actually existed.

Duncan played long enough where even the old man version of himself was arguably the best per minute defender in the league, so him being the best defensive player in the league today seems likely. That alone is super valuable(see the impact Gobert and Green have) and he's a much better offensive player than the best defensive players today. So this idea that his offense would make him a role player is silly.

[trex_8063]

They don't run the bulk of the offense through the low post but with the floor spread, many teams use a big as a hub and scorer once they spread the floor with the other 4. Meanwhile Duncan provides more defense and more leadership.

Now, if Kawhi had his best offensive seasons and best defensive seasons at the same time, plus good health, I could take him but he didn't focus nearly as much on defense in his best offensive years.

He also didn't stay consisently healthy in his best offensive years.

That's why it almost feels like this thread is manufactured for us to consider real peak Duncan against a fantasy version of Kawhi that never quite existed (the "(assume good health)" is very very obviously aimed at Kawhi).

[trex_8063]

yeah Kawhi's offensive and defensive peaks not really coinciding makes this Timmy for me. If you could DPOY caliber Kawhi scoring with his efficiency and volume as a first option, I'd take him, but that player never actually existed.

Duncan played long enough where even the old man version of himself was arguably the best per minute defender in the league, so him being the best defensive player in the league today seems likely. That alone is super valuable(see the impact Gobert and Green have) and he's a much better offensive player than the best defensive players today. So this idea that his offense would make him a role player is silly.

Yeah, I think peak Duncan is going to have as much of a 'role player's' role on offense as Senguin did last year. Except Duncan would be better in similar usage/utilization.
Add to that being DPOY-worthy, his leadership qualities, staying healthy, and being beastly in the ps......that's my guy.

[Caneman786]

This is a crazy poll to me because they didn't play that long apart. Hell, Kawhi played with Tim Duncan on the same team. Not in their primes, but the fact they even were functional says something.

We aren't talking about Wilt or Mikan vs Wemby