Best 3rd guy in NBA history?

prolific passer · Post #1 » by **prolific passer** » Mon Nov 30, 2020 5:09 am

Who ya got?

RCM88x · Post #2 » by **RCM88x** » Mon Nov 30, 2020 5:17 am

Gotta be Draymond Green in 2017. Legit top 10 level impact player that season.

Probably the best 4th guy too that season in Klay Thompson.

Jordan Syndrome · Post #3 » by **Jordan Syndrome** » Mon Nov 30, 2020 5:23 am

I assume this is meant as 3rd scoring options offensively.

Bob Dandridge, Klay Thompson, Toni Kukoc, Adrian Dantley, Norm Nixon/Jamaal Wilkes, Earl Monroe, Ray Allen, Horace Grant to name a few.

The issue with this question is it is too vague. The best "3rd guys" are players who can act as secondary or 1B playmakers by creating open looks and provide impactful defense. In the current NBA you don't need a true "3rd guy" that shows up every night but to compete with the Bulls in the 1990s you needed your 3rd guy every game of a 7-game series otherwise Kukoc/Rodman/Grant were simply too much for teams as the oppositions top-2 already started at a disadvantage in comparison to Jordan/Pippen. The Celtics of the 1980s had Robert Parish and Dennis Johnson as their 3rd and 4th best players--who in their right mind is going to compete with that and Bird/McHale as a 1-2 punch?

Cavsfansince84 · Post #4 » by **Cavsfansince84** » Mon Nov 30, 2020 5:27 am

I think its whoever you consider to be the third best player on the 1969 Lakers. So probably Baylor.

DirtyDez · Post #5 » by **DirtyDez** » Mon Nov 30, 2020 5:29 am

On a title team? 87’ Kareem or 85’ Worthy.

Jordan Syndrome · Post #6 » by **Jordan Syndrome** » Mon Nov 30, 2020 5:30 am

DirtyDez wrote:On a title team? 87’ Kareem or 85’ Worthy.

Neither of those players are better than 1971 Bob Dandridge.

Jordan Syndrome · Post #7 » by **Jordan Syndrome** » Mon Nov 30, 2020 5:33 am

Cavsfansince84 wrote:I think its whoever you consider to be the third best player on the 1969 Lakers. So probably Baylor.

The same Elgin Baylor who posted 43.0 TS% and 15.4 points on 17.9 TSA in the post-season along with .069 WS/48?

Really, this is your best 3rd guy in NBA History? Is the Cold War still going on?

Cavsfansince84 · Post #8 » by **Cavsfansince84** » Mon Nov 30, 2020 5:41 am

Jordan Syndrome wrote:
Cavsfansince84 wrote:I think its whoever you consider to be the third best player on the 1969 Lakers. So probably Baylor.

The same Elgin Baylor who posted 43.0 TS% and 15.4 points on 17.9 TSA in the post-season along with .069 WS/48?

Really, this is your best 3rd guy in NBA History? Is the Cold War still going on?

Was also 1st team all nba and 5th in mvp voting in the rs. I mean that's not too bad for a 3rd banana.

homecourtloss · Post #9 » by **homecourtloss** » Mon Nov 30, 2020 5:42 am

RCM88x wrote:Gotta beDraymond Green in 2017. Legit top 10 level impact player that season.

Probably the best 4th guy too that season in Klay Thompson.

The only correct answer.

frica · Post #10 » by **frica** » Mon Nov 30, 2020 9:22 am

I'll just mention Michael Cooper because why not?

70sFan · Post #11 » by **70sFan** » Mon Nov 30, 2020 9:42 am

A few oldschool mentions:

1956 Tom Gola
1967 Chet Walker
1970 Dave DeBusschere

MyUniBroDavis · Post #12 » by **MyUniBroDavis** » Mon Nov 30, 2020 11:42 am

homecourtloss wrote:
RCM88x wrote:Gotta beDraymond Green in 2017. Legit top 10 level impact player that season.

Probably the best 4th guy too that season in Klay Thompson.

The only correct answer.

Tbf i think that it depends on youre criteria

Obviously hes an ATG defender at his peak but offensicely he had high impact because he was in an extremely specialized role, hes a solid halfcourt playmaker thats particularly excellent in the short roll, like offensively hes extremely limited in the roles he can play and benefits from an offense where hes pretty much always gonna be in short roll situations because of curry

Im not sure if fantasy labs is the right site, but people tend to use the 2016 season as proof draymond wasnt reliantnon curry, whereas from 2015-2020, at least if fantasylabs is accurate or close to accurate it definately feels like a statistical outlier more than anything else

104.8 - 100
110.8 - 102.1
(Added without durant for the next few)
101.2 - 99.7
103.8 - 103.8
93.8 - 108.1

I agree he may be the most impactful player given his standing in his team but some people think hes was a top 15 guy in a vacuum, which I really dont agree with. He was put in a situation where the only things they really needed from him offensively was short roll playmaking, and granted while hes really good at that specific offense, but in all other facets of offense other than basic halfcourt playmaking and transition playmaking his bototm of the league territory.

Like not hating on the guy, but i think people assume hes a two way force when he really only is an even bareable offensive player if you pair him with a guy like curry, lillard, maybe bubble murray. Like i think a goberts prolly better in a vacuum

DQuinn1575 · Post #13 » by **DQuinn1575** » Mon Nov 30, 2020 12:37 pm

Sam Jones or Havlicek, depending on year

Post #14 » by **penbeast0** » Mon Nov 30, 2020 12:47 pm

I'm looking not at a season but over the course of a 5-8 year prime. For that you have to look at the "superteams." Havlicek in the 60s I think gets overrated but definitely a contender. Dennis Johnson on the Supersonics (or Gus or Sikma), Dandridge on the Bucks, then Bullets, James worthy on Showtime, Tony Parker on the Spurs, Dray or Klay. But for me, it's probably Robert Parish on the 80s Celtics.

Jaivl · Post #15 » by **Jaivl** » Mon Nov 30, 2020 2:45 pm

Parish IMO.

HeartBreakKid · Post #16 » by **HeartBreakKid** » Mon Nov 30, 2020 2:48 pm

I'd say John Havilcek or Ray Allen.

eminence · Post #17 » by **eminence** » Mon Nov 30, 2020 3:13 pm

homecourtloss wrote:
RCM88x wrote:Gotta beDraymond Green in 2017. Legit top 10 level impact player that season.

Probably the best 4th guy too that season in Klay Thompson.

The only correct answer.

Could I forward an argument for 2017 Kevin Durant?

homecourtloss · Post #18 » by **homecourtloss** » Mon Nov 30, 2020 3:58 pm

eminence wrote:
homecourtloss wrote:
RCM88x wrote:Gotta beDraymond Green in 2017. Legit top 10 level impact player that season.

Probably the best 4th guy too that season in Klay Thompson.

The only correct answer.

Could I forward an argument for 2017 Kevin Durant?

You really can, which is incredible.

Post #19 » by **penbeast0** » Mon Nov 30, 2020 4:20 pm

Bobby Jones on the Sixers behind Moses and Dr. J is a good candidate too, his value is a lot higher than his scoring though limited by his limited minutes (he was the 6th man, but like Manu on the Spurs, he was better and I believe played more than the starter). And Andrew Toney is a decent argument for 4th best (outside the 2017 Warriors), and as long as we are there, Maurice Cheeks for best 5th man is a serious candidate! Or whichever way you arrange Cheeks, Toney, and Jones for value.

henshao · Post #20 » by **henshao** » Mon Nov 30, 2020 5:22 pm

Dennis Rodman wasn't exactly a scoring 3rd option but he was definitely a 3rd best player on several ahem pretty decent teams