HandyWithTheSteel
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It's kinda tricky imo because you cant draw up alley oop plays or attack defenses with a lob threat without dunking specifically being in their skillsetI don't think dunking should be a category.
Maybe something broader like "finishing at the basket" would be more reflective of a skill.
Kyrie the best finisher ever but you cant draw up an out of bounds alley-oop play to win the game with him, cuz dunking isn't one of his stronger skills (even though he can do it)
so dunking does count as a skill no matter how you slice itI'll put it this way:It's kinda tricky imo because you cant draw up alley oop plays or attack defenses with a lob threat without dunking specifically being in their skillsetKyrie the best finisher ever but you cant draw up an out of bounds alley-oop play to win the game with him, cuz dunking isn't one of his stronger skills (even though he can do it)
Skill is literally defined as the ability to do something well
It doesn't exclude athleticism people are born with at allso dunking does count as a skill no matter how you slice it
Unathletic races with try to downplay athleticism until they're blue in the face but we shouldn't ever buy into that shyt, they just tryna save face for generic inferiority in certain places. When you have a legit dunker on your team you create different types of advantages, same with speed, it's still a skill regardless of whether it's something you were born with or not, dont let cacs and media pundits redefine shyt because they can't do it
If the conversation was best dunker then wouldn't you be being disingenuous by switching the conversation to finishing at the rim?I'll put it this way:
Many people would regard Vince Carter as the best dunker they've ever seen. And he was amazing.
I'd argue someone like Tony Parker was far more effective at the rim, and thus more skilled in a way that provided more value to the team.
We could disagree on that, though.
that'd just start an argument about goal posts moving if we keeping it a buck, you ignored the premise of your own example here.
there would be situations where you dont want Tony Parker on the court because you NEED that lob threat to draw attention to set up something else
every skill has their place on the basketball court. I dont see how TP having a craftier layup/floater package automatically makes him more valuable, it all depends on the personnel on the floor.
he simply decided not toHow many times do you need a lob threat over the course of a season?If the conversation was best dunker then wouldn't you be being disingenuous by switching the conversation to finishing at the rim?
In this hypothetical you're stating you already know the conversation was about dunking specifically, not about what provided more value to the team, so why bring it up?that'd just start an argument about goal posts moving if we keeping it a buck, you ignored the premise of your own example here.
Just seems like a roundabout way to discredit athleticismthere would be situations where you dont want Tony Parker on the court because you NEED that lob threat to draw attention to set up something else
every skill has their place on the basketball court. I dont see how TP having a craftier layup/floater package automatically makes him more valuable, it all depends on the personnel on the floor.
Also
There's nothing stopping a Vince Carter from learning TP's baghe simply decided not to
On the flip side there's nothing TP can do to become lob threat, it's also easier to draw fouls going up for a dunk than doing all the footwork TP has to do, he has to work harder, that doesn't mean it's better or more efficient.
There are bigs with more complete footwork than Shaq but you would never think to say they provided more value to the team, his one dribble into a dunk makes the game easier, so it's more valuable, who cares if they can do the more technical stuff? The easier bucket wins
Same thing with Vince Carters dunking vs
Parkers layup package
Luka lead the Mavs to the finals with 2 lob threats stressing teams the fukk outHow many times do you need a lob threat over the course of a season?
I'd say it's fairly rare...as a NEED.
just 2 years ago, had teams in a blender every pick and roll because of it, no one was worried about a pick and pop from Gafford or Lively and they still couldn't stop it. Like i said ANY skill can be viable with the proper personnel