Question:
What players (all-time) would you define as the prototype of each position? ?
soze36
2009-01-27 13:51:08 UTC
What players define what you look for in each position?

Here's mine:

PG - John Stockton (great passer, floor leader, under control, hits the 3, great defense, plays the passing lanes, very clutch)
SG - Michael Jordan (obviously could do it all)
SF - Scottie Pippen (see MJ's description)
PF - Tim Duncan (great rebounder, blocks shots, good on-ball defender, outside jumper, post game, leadership, composure)
C - Hakeem Olajuwon (best all-around center of all-time, best post moves ever, great jumper, among league leaders in blocks and steals, impossible to guard)

Subconsciously I compare every great player that comes along to these 5 guys at their positions.

Who are your prototypes?
Ten answers:
D- Rock
2009-01-27 14:24:54 UTC
Seems to me like no one really grasped whats meant by "prototype"....So saying things like 'I pick Player A because he was a great dunker etc' really doesnt help...Prototyple players are players that if you were a coach, you'd try to model your players' game around... Not everyone is going to be as Big and Strong as Shaq, or as high flying as Nique.... So you've gotta look past their physical attributes and focus on skill and their determination...



My list includes



C - Kareem/Hakeem - Either one of them would be perfect... They bith have great post moves, especially kareem's sky hook... IF you're a big man, this is a move you should learn to use, its practically unstoppable if used correctly... Also, they box out and rebound good as well, as well as go after the shot blocks...



PF - Tim Duncan - He doesnt have to be the BEST PF of all time, although I believe he is, but he IS probably the most fundamentally sound one... He plays with angles instead of athleticism, he has a high B-Ball IQ, and best of all, is humble... He's more than willing to NOT score 20 points as long as his team wins, and he never complains... Cant ask for a better player



SF - Pippen - This one's a little tough...but Pip gets it... He plays smart, and plays tenacious D as well.... Doesnt really force up shots and is very humble, much like Duncan..His B-Ball IQ is high as well...



SG - MJ - Played with Heart, determination and skill... He was fundamentally sound, played tenacious D, and had an undying will to win... You want your star player to have a mindset just like MJ's



PG - Stockton - I would've picked Magic, but he was blessed to be so tall that he could easily see over defenders heads and find open teammates, something alot of PG's cant do, since theyre mostly alot shorter... For that reason I pick Stockton... Stockton got it on offense as well as defense... He played smart, and executed the pick and roll (One of the most basic, yet effective, basketball plays) to perfection... He put his team first, and most of the time only looked to score when no other options were available... Perfect Model for a PG
anonymous
2009-01-27 14:01:36 UTC
I think your confused buddy, you don't seem to know your basketball history past 1990.

Wilt Chamberlin is by far the greatest C of all time, people who are 20 and under usually don't understand the talent he had, he was a floor general, he pushed any and every one around to make baskets. The only 100 point game is claimed by Wilt "the stilt" Chamberlin.

There are some other Cs that could definitely make it hard to say Olajuwon is the best as well, David Robinson was better in his prime than Olajuwon imo. Scottie Pippen was good but not the best SF of all time, he looked a lot better than he was because of who he played with. Stockton was good...but there's a lot of 60s and 70s PGs that own Stocktons stats.

The one I probably have to disagree witht he most is Tim Duncan, he's not even the best PF in the NBA atm, definitely not of all time.

Not trying to bash your list though, that's a strong set of players, but you have to look before the 90s to see the GREAT players.

(I agree with MJ though!)
anonymous
2009-01-27 15:00:07 UTC
PG- Brevin Knight- Couldnt score much but made all the players around him better, like a PG is supposed to do.

SG- Jerry West- Before MJ, the SG was supposed to score, and thats what Jerry West did.

SF- Jalen Rose- Dont know why, he just screams SF for some reason

PF- Chris Webber- 20 Pts 10 Rbs a game, decent mid range jumper and inside game, thats what PFs do.

C- Dikembe Mutombo- Great defense and rebounding with some points, thats a solid center.
anonymous
2016-04-03 13:41:54 UTC
PG- 1.Chris Paul 2.Derrick Rose 3.Deron Williams 4.Russell Westbrook 5.Steve Nash SG- 1.Kobe Bryant 2.Dwyane Wade 3.Manu Ginobili 4.Monta Ellis 5.Ray Allen SF- 1.Lebron James 2.Carmelo Anthony 3.Kevin Durant 4.Gerald Wallace 5.Paul Pierce PF- 1.Dirk Nowitzki 2.Amare Stoudemire 3.Pau Gasol 4.Blake Griffin 5.Chris Bosh C- 1.Dwight Howard 2.Andrew Bogut 3.Nene 4.Andrew Bynum 5.Jokaim Noah Overall 1.Dirk Nowitzki 2. Lebron James 3.Kobe Bryant 4.Dwyane Wade 5.Chris Paul
anonymous
2009-01-27 14:09:19 UTC
Hi there mine is:

C-Kareem Abdul Jabar-The best centre in the nba in my opinion all time,best scorer in the nba all time and also the best inside scorer.A sky hoop master and great power dunker.

PF-Karl Malone-The best PF in the nba all time in my opinion.Great shooter for his size,great power dunker(the best dunker from the PFs all time)inside scorer,rebounder and blocker.

SF-Larry Bird-The best shooter in the nba,great passer for his size and scorer too.The best shooter in the nba but i think Dirk Nowitzki is better shooter in the nba,has better % than Bird,can create his own shot,shot and hit from anyware,the best range and the most deadliest shooter in the nba and can shot a lot of diffrent types of shots.But in this call Larry as the best shooter from dribbling in the nba all time

SG-Michael Jordan-The best dunker in the nba all time with Dr J and D.Wilkins,and he could anything.Also the best player in the nba all time and scorer all time,ppg 30,1

PG-Magic Johnson-The best pg in the nba,passer also all time.He could play all positions and was kiling defenses with his all around game.Great player
Nick C (IT'S SHOWTIME!!)
2009-01-27 14:01:58 UTC
The only player I would change is Magic over Stockton.



Everyone your list I agree with except for Stockton.



Alternates for me would be:

SF: Bird. Passer, rebounder, leader, scorer, trash talker and could back it up. Clutch.
JR
2009-01-27 16:15:25 UTC
I understand where you're coming from when you mentioned the word prototype. Some may confuse that terminology with the best since it has a similar ring to the word benchmark and benchmark is usually associated with the best of the best. I'm going to take a different path to your question and list the 5 prototype skills/requirement I foresee a player will need to have in the future at these positions. The game is evolving to the point where players are getting bigger, faster, and expanding their skills. Therefore, the limited but specialized skillsets, which plague these different areas of the game may eventually vanish down the road. So without further ado, here are my prototype trends for the future 5 positions in the NBA





Point Guard - Jason Kidd



Reason: The reason why I did not list Oscar Robertson or Magic Johnson was because they were taller than most (if not all) of the players at their position during their time, which made them more of an anomaly rather than the norm. I think it's rare that we'll see another point guard with Magic's height, who won't be moved to small forward (like LeBron) eventually. J-Kidd's height (6'4") is reasonably attainable for a point guard and should become a future trend for dominant floor generals. Kidd is not only a great passer but he is a very effective rebounder for a player his size. J-Kidd plays on both ends of the floor due to his ability to run the offense, shoot 3's, and accumulate steals. The one knock on Jason has always been his lack of scoring but with the game evolving to the point where guards are getting stronger and smarter, I believe that Kidd has the body frame and basketball IQ to adjust and dominate any era he plays in. Jason Kidd was an apprentice of Kevin Johnson in Phoenix and then went on to mentor Steve Nash in Dallas.





Shooting Guard - Michael Jordan



Reason: The only shooting guard in NBA history who has dominated a big man's game. MJ ruled an era that spawned some of the most dominant true (7 foot) centers the NBA has ever seen. Hakeem Olajuwon had to wait for Jordan's first retirement to get his only 2 rings. Shaq had to wait until MJ left for good to dominate the NBA. David Robinson couldn't land himself a title until Jordan left and Tim Duncan came on board. There are so many great players who retired without a ring (Stockton, K.Malone, Barkley, Ewing, Dominique, Kevin Johnson, Shawn Kemp, etc.) because of the man they call Air Jordan. MJ embodies everything you'd want in a prototype shooting guard. He has an enact ability to score from anywhere on the floor. He has unlimited elevation, a knack for scoring (or dunking) with authority, ability to get his teammates involved, and was a very clutch player. His defense was top notch (one of the few guards in history to win a Defensive Player of the Year Award) and he expected his teammates to perform with the same level of intensity as him every night. He held teammates accountable for their play and was a true class act.





Small Forward - Larry Bird



Reason: I didn't include LeBron James due to his lack of a consistent outside jumper. The Birdman was like a White Magic Johnson at the small forward slot. He wasn't the greatest man to man defender but he was great team defender. I believe that the average height for an NBA small forward in the future will be 6'8" or taller. These players must be able to mix it up in the paint as well as step outside and hit the open jumper. Bird fits this description. He was a great rebounder thanks to his size but he also had the playmaking ability to spread the ball and find the open man. He was also a heck of scorer and a dead-eye marksman who scored wherever and whenever he wanted to. MJ was once asked if he could choose a player besides himself to score the last shot with the game on the line and Jordan said without any hesitation - Larry Bird.





Power Forward - Kevin Garnett



Reason: Tim Duncan would have been an excellent choice here but since, I am predicting future trends, I believe that KG will be the perfect prototype for future power forwards. He has the height of a center (6'11") and the speed of a small forward. Garnett could posted up inside or step out and shoot from top of the key. He has the ability to get his teammates involved by passing out the double team and finding the open man. KG is a great defender and an underrated shotblocker. Garnett has been known to make his teammates better and possesses the right attitude to hold everyone accountable for their play without disrupting team chemistry.





Center - Hakeem Olajuwon



Reason: I agree with your selection because I have seen the Dream in action. I believe that Wilt had more of a size advantage and he had the playmaking skills of a point guard that nobody thought centers could ever possess. However, I doubt we'll ever see a center that skillful in the NBA ever again. The reason I chose Hakeem had a lot to do with his limited size and the way he utilized it to dominate great centers who were either taller (Robinson, Mutombo) or bigger than him (Ewing, Shaq). Centers in the NBA aren't as tall as they used to be (Dwight Howard, Al Horford, Kendrick Perkins). Then, you also have power forwards who play part-time center (Duncan, Garnett, Al Jefferson).



The only true 7 footers left in the NBA is Yao Ming and Greg Oden but they are considered a rare breed nowadays. The game has evolved towards a faster pace and centers need to be more quick and agile than before. That's why I believe that Olajuwon would have been more suited for today's game than a Shaq or Ewing. With small forwards and power forwards coming out of college taller and bigger than they were a decade ago, the demand for a true (7 foot) centers would be useful but isn't totally necessary as it was before when a majority of the NBA teams used to run a halfcourt offense. The Dream could do it all - score inside, pass it out to the open man, or hit the outside shot. Hakeem was also a havoc on D as a notorious steal artist and as well as a game-changing shotblocker.
james
2017-02-14 23:37:42 UTC
1
Hendrix 360
2009-01-27 14:02:05 UTC
pg- magic, or john stockton

sg- obviously michael jordan



sf- dominique wilkins (one of the best dunkers) larry bird (possibly the best shooter in NBA history)

pf- karl malone (have you seen his stats?) or charles barkley (fun guy to watch)



c- hakeen olajuwon (name says it all)
Jimmy Bob
2009-01-27 14:10:14 UTC
define prototype. i think prototype as the first so it's hard 2 tell.


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
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