Who was the most "ahead of his time" basketball player you can think of ?

[Bigblackted4]

Bird is great in any era. Ahead of his time implies they werent able to maximize their abilities/impact due to how the game was played during their time.

Oh well Clifford Robinson would be perfect today

 

[Admiral Ackbar]

Magic. Played all positions.

George Mikan, first bona fide big man.

Grant Hill playing point forward was kinda unique. Dude is a winner for bagging Tamia.

 

[Ethnic Vagina Finder]

Arvydas Sabonis

 

[Mʀ2ᴋDᴇᴇᴢ]

Wilt

 

[bigde09]

Mike. You look at how players handled the rock before he played and how they shot jumpers and fadeaways and they look old.

You look at Mike in the 80’s and his game still looks like a modern player. He was the blueprint for the modern basketball player.

 

[Luke Cage]

Mark Price would be elevated to another level if he had played in this era. Was an excellent three point scorer

 

[Rollie Forbes]

Magic Johnson
Julius Erving
Allen Iverson
Chris Mullen

 

[lurker emeritus]

penny for being that skilled at that height

 

[feelosofer]

Rasheed Wallace

 

[jerzboy]

Mahmoud Abdul- Rauf

Him and Jason Williams (white chocolate)

 

[Remote]

Steph Curry. That 2015 season was preposterous and there wasn’t any shooter like him.

I would say Michael Jordan was far ahead of his time EARLY in his career. Like the first few years.

I’m not necessarily talking about a player who was just better than his peers. But rather a guy who was a paradigm shift in the league.

It’s like in baseball where Babe Ruth was a super leap forward. By the 30s there were better players. Gehrig or whatever. But BEFORE Ruth it was a very different league.

I think the same could be said for Jordan and Curry. Those guys represented a fundamental change in the NBA.

 

[010101]

whoever was the first cat really moving left right right left getting shifty HA*

 

[BrehMan]

Baron Davis, IMO

He was the pre cursor to alot of the athletic, smaller guards that came after him such as: Russell Westbrook, D Rose, John Wall, AntMan, Steve Francis

 

[FTBS]

I think we gotta distinguish between ahead of their time and game changers. Yes a game changer can be, and usually is, ahead of their time technically. But dudes like Abdul-Rauf and Coleman werent used to their full potential because they didn't fit into the box of the times. Guys like Magic, Mike, Steph broke out of the box. They balled individually and influenced the game/players that followed.

 

[IIVI]

Magic Johnson jumbo point guard
Michael Jordan all-around offensive hub
Pippen point forward
Dirk stretch four
Jokic point center

Team of players ahead of their time and who archetypes were built around (or would like to build around).