The most Natural talented player ever?

[To4]

Nothing much to do til the next training camp.


Who is for YOU the most natural talented player ever? and why?

You can only pick ONE!


I understand that we all have the different meaning or comparisons about natural and talented or skill whatever and will also depend their work ethic bla bla.


My pick will be Tracy Mcgrady. Just smooth as fuq and it just looks so easy for him. Everything that just comes to him naturally and he just sometimes just coasts and doesn't even look like his trying. I still can't explain why he for me is the most natural talented player. Some eye test and in AWE for years watching him.

Honorable Mention for Larry Bird. (ONLY PICK ONE)


So ISHERS. Take a player and explain why.

[BigKAT]

I won't talk about skill because I bet that every floater that goes in is the result of hours upon hours of practice in the backyard.

I'll go with Dwight Howard or Shaq. Physical Athleticism you can't teach. And these guys had some of the best combinations of speed, power and agility I've ever seen.

[Sakkreth]

Sabonis

A 7'3 that can do anything and was actually athletic in his youth before injuries too, which you might get surprised by.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAqUQpROBfU

[Round Mound]

Sabonis

A 7'3 that can do anything and was actually athletic in his youth before injuries too, which you might get surprised by.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAqUQpROBfU

Early-mid 80s Sabonis = Top 6 Center of All Time.

[Jasper]

anyone naming a big man , all their skills were 100% developed.

Even though the best natural players had some form or another development , natural means can pass, shoot , dribble and rebound.

That means someone that is a wing player.

Lebron was coveted at the highschool level , so that is pretty bare bones.

But I like Pistol Pete.... He had a feel for the game that can't be taught , and he like Bird , Jordan , Majic and Lebron all have it.

They are also well versed in the history of the game.
Zeke could be added , but he was a head case.

[ClipperRevival]

Most naturally talented in terms of just feel for the game, I would have to say Larry Bird.

Most naturally talented in terms of best athleticism suited for bball, Michael Jordan.

[Milbuck]

Lebron.

6'8" 250+ GOAT-tier athlete with terrific vision, fluid handles, BBIQ, awareness/instincts, body control, touch, etc.

If you designed the perfect basketball player trait by trait, peak Lebron checks off more boxes than probably anyone else in history.

[iamgine]

Allen Iverson didn't even need practice.

[ArbitraryWater]

Kiiing just made the perfect post on LeBron's athleticism like two days ago, cant find it though.

[livingby3's]

I actually thought Rudy Gay had the traits to do great things in the NBA

[ClipperRevival]

Lebron.

6'8" 250+ GOAT-tier athlete with terrific vision, fluid handles, BBIQ, awareness/instincts, body control, touch, etc.

If you designed the perfect basketball player trait by trait, peak Lebron checks off more boxes than probably anyone else in history.

Quickness and the ability to change directions are huge assets in bball, something LeBron lacked.

I mean I get it, dude was a freak and in a vacuum, he might've been the GOAT bball athlete but he lacked certain traits that could've made him even better. So he wasn't "perfect".

[kshutts1]

This post started off with OP saying that everyone will have their own opinion of what natural talent is. I feel like most people in here are confusing "talent" with "athleticism". But again, to each their own.

Most naturally talented player, I'm going to go with Hakeem. We all know the story, that he never played basketball until he was 15 or 16 or whatever it was... and to come from that minimal background to become arguably the most talented big man ever tells me that he had a very high "floor". AKA (at least to me) natural talent.

[LostCause]

Derrick Coleman

Pretty much all his contemporaries (Including Barkley and Malone) during his peak thought he should wind up as a Top 2-3 PF of all time, and dude literally had everything. Barkley blatantly called him out for simply not trying as hard as he did DURING their playing careers and Coleman never really loved the game


PHOENIX
Charles Barkley has always been one of Derrick Coleman's greatest admirers and biggest critics. Barkley, like Karl Malone and nearly every NBA coach, says Coleman should be among the top two or three players in the league, but for a variety of reasons Coleman doesn't come close. "He doesn't apply himself," Barkley said. "He should be one of the best. He has more talent (around him) in New Jersey than I ever did in Philadelphia and we were always around .500. He doesn't play hard. I always play hard.

[Smoke117]

Quickness and the ability to change directions are huge assets in bball, something LeBron lacked.

I mean I get it, dude was a freak and in a vacuum, he might've been the GOAT bball athlete but he lacked certain traits that could've made him even better. So he wasn't "perfect".

I always love how these clowns criticize a guy who is 6-8 260 (at the very least) for not being as quick as let's say...Grant hill...a guy that was 6-8 220 on the pistons. LeBron is amazingly quick for a guy carrying all that bulk. The fact that he's essentially a pg at his size is ridiculous.

[ShawkFactory]

Quickness and the ability to change directions are huge assets in bball, something LeBron lacked.

I mean I get it, dude was a freak and in a vacuum, he might've been the GOAT bball athlete but he lacked certain traits that could've made him even better. So he wasn't "perfect".
Relatively speaking perhaps.

But early Lebron in particular had an excellent first step and ability to maneuver through traffic.

[fiddy]

Lebron.

6'8" 250+ GOAT-tier athlete with terrific vision, fluid handles, BBIQ, awareness/instincts, body control, touch, etc.

If you designed the perfect basketball player trait by trait, peak Lebron checks off more boxes than probably anyone else in history.
:roll: :roll:

You lost your mind bruh? Bran has been in the league for 13 years and the only skills he has developed is the stiff arm.

[Dray n Klay]

Kobe Bryant




All that natural talent, and still ended up out of the Top 10 :(

[ArbitraryWater]

Kobe Bryant




All that natural talent, and still ended up out of the Top 10 :(

bro, you remember the thread of that kiiing post? did mods delet? :rant

[theaussieguy]

Not taking into account physicality and going purely off skills its hard to go past guys like Bob Cousy, Magic Johnson, Pistol Pete, Nash, Curry, Dirk, Jordan. I am sure I have missed a few.

When you combine that with physicality it can only be Jordan IMO.

[ClipperRevival]

This post started off with OP saying that everyone will have their own opinion of what natural talent is. I feel like most people in here are confusing "talent" with "athleticism". But again, to each their own.

Most naturally talented player, I'm going to go with Hakeem. We all know the story, that he never played basketball until he was 15 or 16 or whatever it was... and to come from that minimal background to become arguably the most talented big man ever tells me that he had a very high "floor". AKA (at least to me) natural talent.

Hakeem has a legit case for #1. Him and MJ are the two guys who had that gumby like athleticism. Just so fluid, agile, coordinated, quick with no wasted motion. Both played much quicker than their position. Hakeem having the lower body dexterity of a 3 and MJ having the quickness of a 1.

No big ever had Hakeem's fluidity. Not even really close. The way he was able to contort, twist and spin in the paint was never seen before or since.

[bizil]

From a fundamental standpoint, Bird. He was a great scorer AND great passer. BUT he wasn't really score first OR pass first. He was the one player who LITERALLY made the proper play all the time it seemed. And on top of that, he had an epic scoring skillset and is one of the top five shooters who has ever lived. At the SF, he had the size advantage virtually every night. So if all else failed, he could overpower other SF's when he wanted to. When it comes to combining athletic ability with fundamentals, MJ is the king in that regard.

[feyki]

Tracy McGraady .

[FatComputerNerd]

KG deserves mentioned if he hasn't been

[NBAGOAT]

depends on what your definition of talent is but I'll say Jordan. Hate to use 3ball's line but how many other players are both elite athletes and shooters at the same time.

[Cold soul]

I have to go with Bird.

[bdreason]

Shaq or Wilt.

[PP34Deuce]

I'd argue Shaq is the most naturally talented.

Shaq could play half ass and still have dominant stats. He would surprise you every game with a move you didn't know he had. He just had a natural feel.

I believe lebron can be included and also Stephon marbury

[VeeCee15]

Vince Carter

He destroyed McGrady in EVERY DRAFT test (vert, speed, strength etc.) that's why the Raptors picked him up. They picked him 5th based solely on his god like athletic prowess. McGrady was taller

[AintNoSunshine]

I won't talk about skill because I bet that every floater that goes in is the result of hours upon hours of practice in the backyard.

I'll go with Dwight Howard or Shaq. Physical Athleticism you can't teach. And these guys had some of the best combinations of speed, power and agility I've ever seen.
:facepalm

Dwight Howard. Someone who can't do a thing with the basketball in his hand in the sport of basketball. More naturally talented. Consider yourself stupid.

It would be someone who possesses a high bball IQ, great with the ball and has a great instinct of the flow of the game. Guys like Magic, Lebron, Jordan and the like.

Can't believe someone mention Dwight:facepalm

[j3lademaster]

The one who would skip training camp and play himself into shape and still put up like a 26/12 season- Shaq.

[SamuraiSWISH]

LeBron is definitely most gifted all around. He was most likely a legit NBA player as a sophomore in high school. That's ridiculous.

[jayfan]

Rasheed Wallace

The game came too easily to him.

.

[bizil]

For perimeter guys who were great scorers, great passers (for their position), great rebounders (for their position), great defenders, and freakish athletes in an epic total package:

MJ
Bron
Kobe
Wade
G Hill (I think Hill reached this level in Detroit right before he got seriously hurt)

For bigs, KG, Wilt, and Admiral combined these facets the best in my opinion.

[Kool Boy]

Grant Hill

[jstern]

Natural talent, as in best suited to just walk into basketball and be really good at it, without having developed or practiced specific basketball skills. I would have to say Lebron. Larry Bird is a candidate because of his feel for the game. I mean, they both still have to work hard to get at the level they're in.

[CuterThanRubio]

anyone naming a big man , all their skills were 100% developed.

Even though the best natural players had some form or another development , natural means can pass, shoot , dribble and rebound.

That means someone that is a wing player.

Lebron was coveted at the highschool level , so that is pretty bare bones.

But I like Pistol Pete.... He had a feel for the game that can't be taught , and he like Bird , Jordan , Majic and Lebron all have it.

They are also well versed in the history of the game.
Zeke could be added , but he was a head case.

Did anyone else notice this?

Pistol Pete was forced into basketball by his father at a young age and had him running drills nonstop since childhood, he was naturally talented to a certain extent but he was rigorously training long before a lot of guys even thought about getting into the game....you want to talk about developing skills?

Terrible choice

[Gougou]

Think have to go with Allen Iverson in this one.

LeBron is the most physically gifted player ever in NBA, but in natural talent I think its AI.

[Milbuck]

Quickness and the ability to change directions are huge assets in bball, something LeBron lacked.

I mean I get it, dude was a freak and in a vacuum, he might've been the GOAT bball athlete but he lacked certain traits that could've made him even better. So he wasn't "perfect".
No one is perfect. Why I said "checks off the most boxes", not all of them. Kinda like how MJ wasn't 6'8" 260+ with PF/C strength like Lebron.

In any case, Lebron is still the quickest and best at changing directions at his size/strength level ever, and far above average across his position even against substantially lighter players.