scrabbarista wrote:I suspect I watched Hakeem from '91-'97 as much as nearly anyone on the boards. Anthony Davis is the most similar player to Olajuwon that I have seen since Olajuwon in terms of skill and ability on both ends. It's obviously difficult to compare across eras, but the one thing that can be compared across eras is attitude and mindset. Olajuwon had a far higher motor - even past 30, even during Ramadan. Olajuwon thirsted for blocks and steals. He was insatiable on both ends. He demanded the ball down the stretch of games. Not asking him to carry you in a close game simply wasn't an option. It was never considered, because Olajuwon refused to allow that. Olajuwon was as competitive as a player can be. AD has no argument over Olajuwon, in my opinion. Olajuwon (past 30) was a better passer than AD, among the other things listed here. He also, obviously, had far more moves and counter moves with the ball in his hands.
Also, one of the things people forget when they compare young bigs to Olajuwon is that he made the NBA Finals in his second season, beating Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the WCF. That's how impactful he was.
I love this post and would just emphasize the breadth of moves Dream had. His footwork is the masterclass for all bigs to this day.
AD has some Olajuwon in him size+skill wise, but he has not put in the work that Dream did, and he does not have his fire. That’s the difference between a top 100 and a top 10.