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Wouldn't it be fascinating to see a basketball player so great, that he would drop 50 points every night? A flashy ball handler who would snatch ankles for fun and a demonic dunker who would posterize you on almost every possession?
But with all the handles and godlike strength, he would still score a guaranteed deep 3 if the need arises and shut-down the best player in the other team with his lock-down defense; a player with the mentality of an assassin and unmatched basketball IQ.
We haven't seen a player with all these qualities but we can create a player who would be absolutely unstoppable on the court and would dominate for decades until the NBA imposes a ban on this player. There is no unanimous answer but we are going to try and create a ruthless basketball player by infusing within him, all the qualities of some of the greatest players to have ever played the game.
Let's begin!
#1 Scoring - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
It would be a nightmare to go toe-to-toe against one of the unstoppable forces back in the 90s and the leading scorer in NBA history - Kareem Abdul Jabbar. WIth 38,387 points in his career that lasted for 20 years, Abdul-Jabbar never averaged below 10 points per game in any season and averaged an unbelievable 28 points and 15 rebounds per game with the Bucks.
Even at 41 years old, during the final season of his career (with the Lakers), he still averaged more than 10 points per game. At age 41. Let that sink in.
Our perfect basketball player would possess the legendary "sky-hook" - one of the most iconic moves seen in the NBA. Even the best defenders - past or present - would be clueless about stopping our 7'2'' scoring genius.
#2 Passing - John Stockton
Ever felt like you'd pay just to be on the same team as someone? John Stockton was that kind of a player. Stockton is not your ordinary playmaker who would dish out a fancy assist a week, he is the definition of effective passing averaging 11 assists per game in his career.
An underappreciated player throughout his career with Utah Jazz, he was often seen as a sidekick to Karl Malone who was a great scorer. But here's something that we need to take into account - John Stockton led the NBA in assists for almost 10 seasons at a stretch with only 1 legitimate scoring option to his aid - Karl Malone.
John Stockton was a talented passer, but the best thing about him was that he made his average teammates look great. John Stockton leads the NBA is all-time assists charts with 15,806 assists. Jason Kidd ranks 2nd with 3000 fewer assists. 3000. That's how good John Stockton was.
#3 Rebounding - Dennis Rodman
Dennis Rodman was a special talent. He didn't have to score a single bucket to make an impact on the game with his extraordinary rebounding prowess. At just 6'7'' - Rodman was a bully when it came to rebounding the basketball, beating taller Centers and Power Forwards to grabbing boards. Forget all the tattoos and the hairstyles, watch him play basketball and you would know that Rodman was one of the hardest workers to have played the game.
What makes Rodman make our list is that he outmuscled guys who outweighed him and who were taller than him. It was like Rodman always wanted that rebound a bit more than others. He led the league in rebounds every year from 1992 to 1998.
To bring things into perspective, in 1992, during his time with the Detroit Pistons, Rodman grabbed 34 rebounds against the Indiana Pacers while the entire Pacers team managed to get only 38 rebounds. That's right folks, Dennis Rodman almost out-rebounded an entire team!
#4 Shot Blocking - Hakeem Olajuwon
Few players in NBA history were as intimidating as Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon. His "Dream Shake" on the offensive end was a thing of beauty but the 7' tall Center was a terrorizing shot blocker.
It's no surprise that Olajuwon leads the NBA in all-time blocks. Some could argue that Wilt Chamberlain or Bill Russell were the greatest ever shot blockers but they didn't consider blocks as an official stat back then. Having said that, there's enough documentary evidence to prove that Olajuwon was a scary Center whose shot-blocking prowess was elite.
Why wouldn't we want our perfect player to swat the ball in the second row like Olajuwon?
#5 Shooting
We're going to have to subdivide this category into Pure Shooting, 3 Point shooting and Catch and Shooting.
Pure Shooting - Reggie Miller
"Reggie Miller, is the best shooter that I’ve ever seen in my life" - Ray Allen pays tribute to Reggie Miller in his Hall Of Fame Speech.
Reggie Miller is one of the most supreme shooters from any era. With a quickfire release, he managed to torch opponents from long range on a nightly basis. He makes the list as the greatest "pure shooter".
Catch and Shoot - Klay Thompson
One particular game comes to mind here - December 5, 2016 - Warriors v/s Pacers.
Klay Thompson exploded for 60 points in just 30 minutes. Here's another mind-blowing stat - He dribbled the ball only 11 times on his Twenty One Field Goals. What's more impressive? He held the ball for just 90 seconds to get his 60 points.
3 point Shooting - Steph Curry
Stephen Curry is doing things we've never seen before. Steph is breaking records. He's knocked down 13 three-pointers in a game. He made 9 pointers to break the record of most 3 pointers made in a Finals game. Steph Curry made 286 three-pointers in 2014-15. 324 in 2015-16. He broke his own record by making an astonishing and unbelievable 402 three-pointers in 2016-17 seasons. These are numbers that were unfathomable before Curry's rise.
#6 Ball Handling - Allen Iverson
During an era where point guards were supposed to be pass-first players looking to set up and stabilize the offense, Allen Iverson was anything but that. He wasn't as physically gifted as some of the other guys in the league, but that didn't stop AI from being the MVP of the League in 2001 and the primary reason that made him an all-time great, was his ball handling skill.
Allen Iverson did most of his damage off the dribble. He wasn't a bad catch-and-shoot scorer, he just loved toying with defenders with his ball-handling prowess. The Answer loved playing isolation ball and would snatch their ankles with his legendary crossover move.
Kyrie Irving, Peter Maravich, Jamal Crawford, Steph Curry, and Jason Williams all could be valid contenders but Allen Iverson has the edge because of his ability to finish to follow up his dazzling dribble moves.
#7 Perimeter Defense - Scottie Pippen
Pippen was a nightmare matchup for any opposing wing player. His defensive assignments usually had him guarding the highest scorer of the other team. Scottie Pippen would more often than not, get the better of his counterpart and have an impact on the game by defending as if his life was on the line.
Breaking through the first line of defense is critical and Pippen stood there like a wall. He made perfect use of his long wingspan and agility to lock-down some of NBA's best volume scorers.
It's a shame that Pippen never won Defensive Player Of The Year to show for his defensive expertise but he did make the All-First Defensive Team 8 times, All-Second Defensive Team 2 times in a span of 8 years.
#8 Dunking - Vince Carter
One legendary dunk itself is enough to make Vince Carter the #1 Dunker Of All Time. A throwback to the 2000 Olympics. Team USA vs Team France. Gary Payton misses a layup. A Frenchman nabbed the rebound and tried a doofy no-look pass. Vince stole it at the three-point line, took 3 dribbles, gathered himself and then jumped over 7'2'' Frederic Weis. Nobody had jumped over a 7 footer before. Nobody has done it since. The Dunk was so nasty, The French gave it a name - "Le Dunk de la Mort" which translates to "The Dunk Of Death"
Vince Carter was called Half Man Half Amazing, Air Canada and Vinsanity for a reason. Wouldn't you love it if our guy had the same kind of bounce?
#9 Clutch Ability - Michael Jordan
"The inbound pass comes in to Jordan...Here's Micahel at the foul line... The Shot on Ehlo... GOOD! The BULLS WIN IT! THEY WIN IT! They upset the Cleveland Cavaliers. Michael Jordan hits it at the foul line. 101-100! 20,273 in stunned silence here in the Coliseum! Michael Jordan with 44 points and a game winning shot over Craig Ehlo. What tremendous heroics we have had in Game 5."
How important is it to have the "clutch gene"? Well, we've seen over and over again, that a clutch shot could change a player's legacy and the history of a franchise. Michael Jordan throughout his career proved that he was the most clutch player to have ever played the game. From "The Shot" against the Cavaliers in 1989 to "The Last Shot" against the Jazz in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals, MJ came up big during the final moments of the game hitting some of the most dramatic game-winners in his career.
5 on the shot clock, down by 1, our perfect player channels his inner Michael Jordan and sinks a deep 2 to win the game! Like the sound of that?
#10 Court Vision - Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson saw angles and eventualities better than anyone. Alongside Kareem Abdul Jabbar, he brought the "Showtime" to the Lakers.
It was almost like Magic was able to see things before they actually happened. At 6'9'', he wasn't even supposed to play at the Point Guard Position. However, with exceptional skills and court vision, Magic Johnson revolutionized basketball. He was nothing like anything people had seen before. His no-look passes were as hyped as some of the monster slams. In his prime, Magic was simply unstoppable. Just ask Larry Bird.
"Magic is head-and-shoulders above everybody else" - Larry Bird
With some of Magic's magic, our perfect player will dish out some of the craziest assists leaving the defenders rooted, and the crowd in disbelief.
#11 Athleticism - LeBron James
LeBron James is an athletic freak of nature. King James on a fastbreak, attacking the glass is the scariest thing for any defender. He weighs around 270 pounds and stands 6'8" above the ground. He's almost. an inch taller and 25 pounds heavier than the average NBA small forward. That makes him unstoppable.
He's agile as he is powerful. Remember how fast he chased down Andre Iguodala for "that block" in game 7 of the 2016 Finals? Taking huge strides, he is able to close the gap in a flash.
Night after night in his career, the fans have witnessed LeBron James soar for alley-oops, dunk over strong men like its nothing, overpower Centers in the paint.
Our perfect player swipes a pass, turns on the nitrous switch, kicks into 5th gear, takes only 4 strides from the midcourt to the ring and hammers the ball down!
#12 Mentality and Work Ethic - Kobe Bryant
"He went beyond Michael Jordan in his attitude towards training" - Phil Jackson who has coached both Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan
Kobe Bryant's work ethic is legendary. His dedication to the game has inspired many young superstars in today's NBA. His insane workout routine started at 4 AM in the morning and ended with 400 made shots.
"You'd walk in there and he'd be cutting and grunting and motioning like he was dribbling and shooting — except there was no ball. I thought it was weird, but I'm pretty sure it helped him." - Shaquille O'Neal
Not only was he the most hardworking player ever, but he also possessed an assassin's mentality. He was the go-to-guy in the clutch moments of the game and has delivered some emphatic plays with the clock running down. Nothing would distract Kobe from his ultimate goal - winning. He was a stone cold killer. Winning was all that mattered and that mentality has put Kobe Bryant in the Pantheon of Basketball.
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Guess the Lakers players!
