Who were some of the best jump shooting centers in NBA history?

[TAZORAC]

Who are some of the best jump shooters in NBA history? I can't think of anybody who shoots better then Sam Perkins....Dirk Notowski would be hands down the best, but he doesn't play Center. Best shooter of anybody over 6'8

[Smoke117]

Arvydas Sabonis. He was shooting 3pters long before it was the hip new thing for big men to do. We never got to see his shooting at it's best though as he already had almost no lift by the time he joined the Blazers at 32.

[SCdac]

Robinson, Kareem, Wilt, Ewing, Yao, Sabonis, etc... Alonzo had a good jumper

[DaHeezy]

Bill Laimbeer.
Probably the only center of that era who actually had set plays for him to shoot 3's.

[Kawhi]

Manute Bol. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45czWPhWQOI

And everytime I'm jammed I always find a loophole
I got a crime record longer than Manute Bol

[Pointguard]

You could keep Dirk in there and I would still say Bob McAdoo. He had superior handles to Dirk as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuQ3unu2YAQ averaged 34.5 ppg one year.

[Smoke117]

Dave Cowens was also a good jump shooting center.

[smoovegittar]

Arvydas Sabonis. He was shooting 3pters long before it was the hip new thing for big men to do. We never got to see his shooting at it's best though as he already had almost no lift by the time he joined the Blazers at 32.

Man, I was gonna say Sabonis. He was lethal. Smitts was a killer as well.

[zeerghit]

Arvydas

[$LakerGold]

Centers? Fking kidding me?

YAO ****ING MING.

[DaHeezy]

Centers? Fking kidding me?

YAO ****ING MING.

Ming? How many 3's did he shoot in his career? 5?
His 12 footer wasn't as good as Ewing's. So I dont see why you're tripping out about him not being mentioned.

[Hey Yo]

Ming? How many 3's did he shoot in his career? 5?
His 12 footer wasn't as good as Ewing's. So I dont see why you're tripping out about him not being mentioned.
Not many's were as good....

[jbryan1984]

Zydrunas Ilgauskas too. Usually international bigs can shoot cause they aren't just taught to stand around the basket their entire life.

[Smoke117]

Ming? How many 3's did he shoot in his career? 5?
His 12 footer wasn't as good as Ewing's. So I dont see why you're tripping out about him not being mentioned.

That's exactly who I was thinking of when he brought up Yao...his offensive game was almost exactly like Ewing's...just not as good.

[RedBlackAttack]

Zydrunas Ilgauskas too. Usually international bigs can shoot cause they aren't just taught to stand around the basket their entire life.
Big Z came into the league as an athletic center who could run the floor with the best of them. He really only developed that silky smooth jumper after all the foot problems.

He was money from 15-to-18-feet, though. Absolute money.

[Meticode]

Big Z came into the league as an athletic center who could run the floor with the best of them. He really only developed that silky smooth jumper after all the foot problems.

He was money from 15-to-18-feet, though. Absolute money.
What could've been. Makes me sad thinking about it sometimes the talent he had after getting drafted.

[TAZORAC]

Centers? Fking kidding me?

YAO ****ING MING.

Ming couldn't shoot 3 pointers buddy.

[Psileas]

Jack Sikma could really shoot. Bill Laimbeer, as well.

[Xiao Yao You]

Okur

[julizaver]

Who are some of the best jump shooters in NBA history? I can't think of anybody who shoots better then Sam Perkins....Dirk Notowski would be hands down the best, but he doesn't play Center. Best shooter of anybody over 6'8

If it is strictly to the jump shooting - I can recall David Robinson and Patrick Ewing from the players I have watched (not based on higlights or youtube).

Probably there are other good jump shooting centers, but those are the two I remember scoring a lot of points and hitting a lot of jumpers with some consistency from mid range. And then Hakeem was also decent jump shooter.

[feyki]

Okur

Nice pick .

[Showtime80']

Honorable mention goes to Ralph Sampson:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpJLmxVkrYU

The greatest center that never was. What he would do in his prime in the current NBA would be ILLEGAL!!! In college he was being played by a HARD ZONE with no 3 point spacing and he still KILLED IT!

[ralph_i_el]

Okur

came here to say this. Would have had a much better career if not for back injuries.

[LAZERUSS]

You could keep Dirk in there and I would still say Bob McAdoo. He had superior handles to Dirk as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuQ3unu2YAQ averaged 34.5 ppg one year.

THIS!

:applause: :applause: :applause:

McAdoo was UNSTOPPABLE.

[ClipperRevival]

Divac is another guy who had touch from mid-range.

[pudman13]

Jack Sikma and Willis Reed and Dave Cowens come to mind, and Jerry Lucas, if you consider him a center. Zydrunas Ilgauskas had the best outside shot of any over-7-footer I've seen.

It could be argued that other than Reed and Cowens, none of these guys really shot *jump* shots.

Oh...I see McAdoo listed above. I forgot that he played center most of his career. I don't think anyone could top him.

[LAZERUSS]

Jack Sikma and Willis Reed and Dave Cowens come to mind, and Jerry Lucas, if you consider him a center. Zydrunas Ilgauskas had the best outside shot of any over-7-footer I've seen.

It could be argued that other than Reed and Cowens, none of these guys really shot *jump* shots.

Oh...I see McAdoo listed above. I forgot that he played center most of his career. I don't think anyone could top him.

All of those were excellent shooters. Lucas may very well have been the best long range shooter of his era. He was routinely hitting shots from 25+ feet, and well before the NBA 3pt era (albeit, the ABA was using it in the Lucas era.) Look up the term "Lucas Layup."

[Dro]

Rik Smits....

[Dragonyeuw]

Ming couldn't shoot 3 pointers buddy.

So the qualifier for this discussion is those who shoot 3's? Ewing is one of the best jump shooting centers, the 3 wasn't in his repertoire though.

[Smoke117]

If it is strictly to the jump shooting - I can recall David Robinson and Patrick Ewing from the players I have watched (not based on higlights or youtube).

Probably there are other good jump shooting centers, but those are the two I remember scoring a lot of points and hitting a lot of jumpers with some consistency from mid range. And then Hakeem was also decent jump shooter.

Yeah, Big Dave always had a nice little short to mid range jumper. Unfortunately, it seemed to fail him much of the time in the playoffs. That and the fact that teams would just start throwing double and triple teams in every half court set made it impossible for him to dominate the playoffs like he did the regular season. People just look at his playoff stats and make opinions without any context...it's moronic.

[bizil]

You could keep Dirk in there and I would still say Bob McAdoo. He had superior handles to Dirk as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuQ3unu2YAQ averaged 34.5 ppg one year.

I agree! I think peak McAdoo would be the answer because of the prolific scoring numbers, his range, and overall scoring skillset. McAdoo had a world class swingman's scoring skillset plus he was very athletic. Many of the other great shooting centers were catch and shoot midrange guys. McAdoo was great at that AND had great perimeter tricks to go with it. Mac was also hitting jumpers that would have been three pointers in the later eras. So for my all time shooting team, both Mac and Dirk would start:

C- McAdoo
PF- Dirk
SF- Bird
SG- Ray Ray
PG- Curry

[Pointguard]

I agree! I think peak McAdoo would be the answer because of the prolific scoring numbers, his range, and overall scoring skillset. McAdoo had a world class swingman's scoring skillset plus he was very athletic. Many of the other great shooting centers were catch and shoot guys. McAdoo was great at that AND had great perimeter tricks to go with it. Mac was also hitting jumpers that would have been three pointers in the later eras. So for my all time shooting team, both Mac and Dirk would start:

C- McAdoo
PF- Dirk
SF- Bird
SG- Ray Ray
PG- Curry
Hard to deviate from any of this. Solid post.

[bizil]

A guy Laimbeer would be VERY EFFECTIVE in today's era! Because he was a legit 6'11 250 pound stretch 5! BUT he could lead the league in rebounding and provide hard nosed defense. He would shoot many more 3's in today's game. In certain respects, he was ahead of his time. Sikma was similar to this template as well. They gave u great shooting with 3ball range, great rebounding, and very good to great defense at 6'11 to 7'0 tall.

[Hey Yo]

A guy Laimbeer would be VERY EFFECTIVE in today's era! Because he was a legit 6'11 250 pound stretch 5! BUT he could lead the league in rebounding and provide hard nosed defense. He would shoot many more 3's in today's game. In certain respects, he was ahead of his time. Sikma was similar to this template as well. They gave u great shooting with 3ball range, great rebounding, and very good to great defense at 6'11 to 7'0 tall.
And Bill was a master flopper to add to his resume' which was quite effective back in the day.

One of the pioneer's

[DaHeezy]

Crazy to think, Porzingis more than likely will surpass anyone on this list.

[scuzzy]

Illgauskus

[DaHeezy]

I see McAdoo's name being thrown around a lot. I will rank him up there as a jump shooter. But saying he has 3 point range is far from the truth. Even if there was a 3 point line back then. He was a pull up from 12 feet out type player. Not a catch and shoot range player. Laimbeer I s a far superior catch and shoot player.

If you want a sample of what McAdoo played like watch TJ Warren. He has a similar skillset.

[bizil]

I see McAdoo's name being thrown around a lot. I will rank him up there as a jump shooter. But saying he has 3 point range is far from the truth. Even if there was a 3 point line back then. He was a pull up from 12 feet out type player. Not a catch and shoot range player. Laimbeer I s a far superior catch and shoot player.

If you want a sample of what McAdoo played like watch TJ Warren. He has a similar skillset.

McAdoo had MUCH MORE RANGE that a 12 foot jumper! He was a great shooter from ANYWHERE 22 feet in. 22 feet out is three point range. In his prime, THAT'S what separated him from other bigs. U had PLENTY of centers who could shoot 12 -15 foot midrange jumpers. What set McAdoo apart was his swingman style scoring skillset and his range. He was great at catch and shoot, off the dribble, pump fakes, etc. He was polished in many of those areas as guys like a Rick Barry, Hondo, Gervin, etc. For his era, he was shooting jumpers that would have been three pointers.

So when u combine his 2pt. field shooting AND his range, he has a great case as the best shooting center of all time. And when he played the PF, only guys like a Dirk would rank ahead of him. On Open Court, Miller and Isiah BOTH SAID McAdoo was the original stretch PF. Which means he was a prolific shooter who was a GREAT SHOOTER from all over the court. That INCLUDES three point range.

[raprap]

Frye. Not a traditional C but he's legit 7ft

[DaHeezy]

McAdoo had MUCH MORE RANGE that a 12 foot jumper! He was a great shooter from ANYWHERE 22 feet in. 22 feet out is three point range. In his prime, THAT'S what separated him from other bigs. U had PLENTY of centers who could shoot 12 -15 foot midrange jumpers. What set McAdoo apart was his swingman style scoring skillset and his range. He was great at catch and shoot, off the dribble, pump fakes, etc. He was polished in many of those areas as guys like a Rick Barry, Hondo, Gervin, etc. For his era, he was shooting jumpers that would have been three pointers.

So when u combine his 2pt. field shooting AND his range, he has a great case as the best shooting center of all time. And when he played the PF, only guys like a Dirk would rank ahead of him. On Open Court, Miller and Isiah BOTH SAID McAdoo was the original stretch PF. Which means he was a prolific shooter who was a GREAT SHOOTER from all over the court. That INCLUDES three point range.

Show me footage where he took shots from 22 feet out? Because I haven't seen any. I also watched ball in the 80's where MacAdoo still had burn from 80-86 when there was an actual 3 point line and McAdoo register less than .1 shots per game. Some seasons not one 3 point shot taken. You would think a prolific 3 point shooter playing with Magic and Kareem would have plenty of open looks from deep, no?

So footage wise there's nothing and statistically there was no evidence. You're speculating based off what Zeke and Reggie said. I've personally never seen it.

Like I said, he has a great midrange shot. Like a TJ Warren does in today's game. A 3 point shooter he was not.

[DaHeezy]

http://www.databasebasketball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=MCADOBO01


3 for 37 career in 6 season with a 3 point line for 8%. Averaging 20 minutes a game through that stretch and most of it with Magic.
You call that a player with range? Lol. Barkley looks like Stephen Curry compared to that

[bizil]

Show me footage where he took shots from 22 feet out? Because I haven't seen any. I also watched ball in the 80's where MacAdoo still had burn from 80-86 when there was an actual 3 point line and McAdoo register less than .1 shots per game. Some seasons not one 3 point shot taken. You would think a prolific 3 point shooter playing with Magic and Kareem would have plenty of open looks from deep, no?

So footage wise there's nothing and statistically there was no evidence. You're speculating based off what Zeke and Reggie said. I've personally never seen it.

Like I said, he has a great midrange shot. Like a TJ Warren does in today's game. A 3 point shooter he was not.

I've seen vids of McAdoo shooting Js(Buffalo days) that were around 22 feet out. I'm not saying that he shot a large volume of them. BUT he had that kind of range. And LET'S remember we are talking about centers. McAdoo during his Lakers days was past his prime. That's not a good gauge. McAdoo's legend was as a Buffalo Brave and in the 70's. He was playing a different role with the Lakers at that point.

And I NEVER SAID he was a prolific three point shooter. Among centers who were ALSO great scorers, McAdoo had MORE RANGE than most of those guys. Even when it comes to deep midrange shots (18-20 feet), McAdoo was better than virtually any center. Once again, I'm talking among the great scoring centers. He was MUCH MORE than a 12ft midrange shooter!

For PG, SG, SF, and even PF's, the three ball will be more of a factor when looking at great shooters. For C's, the criteria will be MAINLY 15-20 foot midrange shooting AND some three point range. So going by CENTER criteria, Mac ranks at or near the top.

[DaHeezy]

I've seen vids of McAdoo shooting Js(Buffalo days) that were around 22 feet out. I'm not saying that he shot a large volume of them. BUT he had that kind of range. And LET'S remember we are talking about centers. McAdoo during his Lakers days was past his prime. That's not a good gauge. McAdoo's legend was as a Buffalo Brave and in the 70's. He was playing a different role with the Lakers at that point.

And I NEVER SAID he was a prolific three point shooter. Among centers who were ALSO great scorers, McAdoo had MORE RANGE than most of those guys. Even when it comes to deep midrange shots (18-20 feet), McAdoo was better than virtually any center. Once again, I'm talking among the great scoring centers. He was MUCH MORE than a 12ft midrange shooter!

For PG, SG, SF, and even PF's, the three ball will be more of a factor when looking at great shooters. For C's, the criteria will be MAINLY 15-20 foot midrange shooting AND some three point range. So going by CENTER criteria, Mac ranks at or near the top.

I never said he wasn't a great jump shooter. In fact I praised him. You claimed he was regularly hitting shots from that range


Mac was also hitting jumpers that would have been three pointers in the later eras
That is a direct quote from you.
Now if he was regularly doing that when there wasn't 3 point range would it not make sense he would hit them when there was a line?

I was merely correcting you that he wasn't a jump shooter with extended range. Making them in practice is different. Dwight Howard hits them in practice.

Again, McAdoo was a great jump shooter. The same way I praise Reggie Lewis and TJ Warren is now. He just didn't have the extended range.

[Pointguard]

I never said he wasn't a great jump shooter. In fact I praised him. You claimed he was regularly hitting shots from that range

That is a direct quote from you.
Now if he was regularly doing that when there wasn't 3 point range would it not make sense he would hit them when there was a line?

I was merely correcting you that he wasn't a jump shooter with extended range. Making them in practice is different. Dwight Howard hits them in practice.

Again, McAdoo was a great jump shooter. The same way I praise Reggie Lewis and TJ Warren is now. He just didn't have the extended range.
He was one of the first big men to hit the jumper off the move from the deep corner. Back then there were others like Lucas who also did it but it wasn't with a player in front of them or off a hard move. It wasn't a good shot to take but it tortured the defender.

As far as to why he didn't shoot it when he was no longer in his peak - he was 13ppg and 7 rebounds away from his peak, he was no longer playing center and was playing a very different game by the time the 3 pt shot came along. His two point shooting had also suffered by this time.

[DaHeezy]

He was one of the first big men to hit the jumper off the move from the deep corner. Back then there were others like Lucas who also did it but it wasn't with a player in front of them or off a hard move. It wasn't a good shot to take but it tortured the defender.

As far as to why he didn't shoot it when he was no longer in his peak - he was 13ppg and 7 rebounds away from his peak, he was no longer playing center and was playing a very different game by the time the 3 pt shot came along. His two point shooting had also suffered by this time.

A deep range shooter excels later in his career. (See Larry Johnson, Charles Barkley) Especially in a system that has distributors like Magic and centers like Kareem who command double teams in the paint in an era where man to man were the rules.

Look, I'm not dispelling he's money from mid range. I would say he was the original big who was able to pull up off the dribble. But the notion McAdoo was launching them from 3 point range is a myth. There is rarely, if any footage. 12 he was money. 15-18 he could hit but rarely forced from that range. 22 was beyond. Let's not create some myth that he had some undefined range. Like I said Barkley had better range.

[Psileas]

Show me footage where he took shots from 22 feet out? Because I haven't seen any. I also watched ball in the 80's where MacAdoo still had burn from 80-86 when there was an actual 3 point line and McAdoo register less than .1 shots per game. Some seasons not one 3 point shot taken. You would think a prolific 3 point shooter playing with Magic and Kareem would have plenty of open looks from deep, no?

So footage wise there's nothing and statistically there was no evidence. You're speculating based off what Zeke and Reggie said. I've personally never seen it.

Like I said, he has a great midrange shot. Like a TJ Warren does in today's game. A 3 point shooter he was not.

The NBA wasn't big on 3's at all back then, I think this is a well known fact.
These are post prime McAdoo's stats in Italy:
http://web.legabasket.it/player/pbd.phtml?ply=MCA-BOB&from=1980&team=700&type2=t&name_search=Mc%20Adoo

He shot 35.7% from outside 20.5 feet, averaging about 2 such shots per game. It's not really impressive a number, but I doubt he even practiced even the Euro 3 much.

[bizil]

He was one of the first big men to hit the jumper off the move from the deep corner. Back then there were others like Lucas who also did it but it wasn't with a player in front of them or off a hard move. It wasn't a good shot to take but it tortured the defender.

As far as to why he didn't shoot it when he was no longer in his peak - he was 13ppg and 7 rebounds away from his peak, he was no longer playing center and was playing a very different game by the time the 3 pt shot came along. His two point shooting had also suffered by this time.

Well said! That poster doesn't understand a couple of things. For starters, we are talking about peak Bob McAdoo! The guy who won three straight scoring titles and an MVP. On that team, Mac HAD TO be a dominant scorer. And create mismatches all over the court. Part of that arsenal included shooting jumpers in that 20-22 foot range.

Secondly, Mac caught the injury bug in his late 20's. And wasn't the same player when he hit LA. That's why he wasn't in the starting lineup. If Mac was STILL IN HIS PRIME he would have started. Because he was a great rebounder and pretty good defender at his peak. Bob didn't have a crazy long peak being great like a Kareem. By the time he hit 30, he wasn't in his prime anymore.

And in an interesting tidbit, a past prime McAdoo ATTEMPTED 24 three point shots in the first season of the NBA three point line. He only hit 3 and only played in 58 games for Detroit. Sure that's not impressive. But that amount of ATTEMPTS was more than ANY OTHER true PF OR C in the league that season. Jack Sikma ONLY ATTEMPTED 1 three point shot that season. Keep in mind this was a past prime McAdoo in Detroit as well.

So THAT TELLS ME that Mac had MANY MORE ATTEMPTS and was MUCH MORE DEVASTATING from three point range in Buffalo! They just didn't have a three point line at that point. But even in 1980, PAST HIS PRIME, he attempted more three point shots than ANY OTHER true PF or C. Other true PF's and centers WEREN'T EVEN LOOKING to even attempt a three point shots.

[DaHeezy]

Well said! That poster doesn't understand a couple of things. For starters, we are talking about peak Bob McAdoo! The guy who won three straight scoring titles and an MVP. On that team, Mac HAD TO be a dominant scorer. And create mismatches all over the court. Part of that arsenal included shooting jumpers in that 20-22 foot range.

Secondly, Mac caught the injury bug in his late 20's. And wasn't the same player when he hit LA. That's why he wasn't in the starting lineup. If Mac was STILL IN HIS PRIME he would have started. Because he was a great rebounder and pretty good defender at his peak. Bob didn't have a crazy long peak being great like a Kareem. By the time he hit 30, he wasn't in his prime anymore.

And in an interesting tidbit, a past prime McAdoo ATTEMPTED 24 three point shots in the first season of the NBA three point line. He only hit 3 and only played in 58 games for Detroit. Sure that's not impressive. But that amount of ATTEMPTS was more than ANY OTHER true PF OR C in the league that season. Jack Sikma ONLY ATTEMPTED 1 three point shot that season. Keep in mind this was a past prime McAdoo in Detroit as well.

So THAT TELLS ME that Mac had MANY MORE ATTEMPTS and was MUCH MORE DEVASTATING from three point range in Buffalo! They just didn't have a three point line at that point. But even in 1980, PAST HIS PRIME, he attempted more three point shots than ANY OTHER true PF or C. Other true PF's and centers WEREN'T EVEN LOOKING to even attempt a three point shots.

Of course you're going to agree because he's regurgitating exactly what you said.

Both of you are speculating with no actual insight and the actual STATS are severely against your argument. I can speculate Bill Walton could have been a range shooter.

And like I said, when you age and loose your athletic skillset you rely on your jumper. McAdoo averaged 20 minutes in the latter part of his career with the Lakers. That would be the best scenario for a jump shooting big. Your theory is absolutely backwards.

Face it, McAdoo did not have 22+ range. Actual FOOTAGE and STATS support that. You guys are acting like I said McAdoo can't shoot:lol

[DaHeezy]

The NBA wasn't big on 3's at all back then, I think this is a well known fact.
These are post prime McAdoo's stats in Italy:
http://web.legabasket.it/player/pbd.phtml?ply=MCA-BOB&from=1980&team=700&type2=t&name_search=Mc%20Adoo

He shot 35.7% from outside 20.5 feet, averaging about 2 such shots per game. It's not really impressive a number, but I doubt he even practiced even the Euro 3 much.
Embiid is shooting 58% from 22 feet out at the same volume.....in the NBA!
Are we saying Embiid is a distance shooter?

[bizil]

The NBA wasn't big on 3's at all back then, I think this is a well known fact.
These are post prime McAdoo's stats in Italy:
http://web.legabasket.it/player/pbd.phtml?ply=MCA-BOB&from=1980&team=700&type2=t&name_search=Mc%20Adoo

He shot 35.7% from outside 20.5 feet, averaging about 2 such shots per game. It's not really impressive a number, but I doubt he even practiced even the Euro 3 much.

Interesting stats! But for a true PF-C in that era, those are ACTUALLY great stats for a PF-C combo! And as u stated this was a PAST PRIME Mac! Imagine what he was doing from that range in his prime! Guys like Sikma in his best NBA 3point season was averaging 2.7 3point attempts a night. And his shooting percentage was 38%. Bill Laimbeer's 3point numbers were less than that, BUT STILL ELITE for a center in the 80's. AND THAT'S what we have to keep in mind. We are talking about CENTERS!!! Not guards and small forwards. Outside of 20.5 feet is BASICALLY around 22 feet. 22 feet is the minimum NBA three point like.

[bizil]

Of course you're going to agree because he's regurgitating exactly what you said.

Both of you are speculating with no actual insight and the actual STATS are severely against your argument. I can speculate Bill Walton could have been a range shooter.

Face it, McAdoo did not have 22+ range. Actual FOOTAGE and STATS support that. You guys are acting like I said McAdoo can't shoot:lol

I never said that! But at first, u said Mcadoo was 12 foot pull jump shooter who DIDN'T catch and shoot! That's totally false! It's CLEAR u haven't see a lot of Buffalo Braves footage. SECONDLY, I said Mac had range UP TO 22 feet. Which QUALIFIES as 3pt. range in the NBA! I NEVER said he shot a high volume of those shots IN COMPARISON to perimeter players. BUT for CENTERS (which is the topic of discussion), he shot from that range more than ANYBODY ELSE!!!

In the NBA's first three point season, Mac ATTEMPTED more three point shots than ANY OTHER TRUE PF or C that season. Mac was PAST HIS PRIME and only played in 58 games. That TELLS ME Mac was looking to get those shots up MORE from that range than any other true PF or C. HE JUST didn't have the same level of skill anymore. Peak McAdoo was KILLING from 22 feet out ENOUGH to distinguish himself FROM OTHER CENTERS!!!! This discussion is about CENTERS!!!! U bring up PF-SF combo guys LJ and Barkley! They aren't RELEVANT in this discussion!!!

[DaHeezy]

I never said that! But at first, u said Mcadoo was 12 foot pull jump shooter who DIDN'T catch and shoot! That's totally false! It's CLEAR u haven't see a lot of Buffalo Braves footage. SECONDLY, I said Mac had range UP TO 22 feet. Which QUALIFIES as 3pt. range in the NBA! I NEVER said he shot a high volume of those shots IN COMPARISON to perimeter players. BUT for CENTERS (which is the topic of discussion), he shot from that range more than ANYBODY ELSE!!!

In the NBA's first three point season, Mac ATTEMPTED more three point shots than ANY OTHER TRUE PF or C that season. Mac was PAST HIS PRIME and only played in 58 games. That TELLS ME Mac was looking to get those shots up MORE from that range than any other true PF or C. HE JUST didn't have the same level of skill anymore. Peak McAdoo was KILLING from 22 feet out ENOUGH to distinguish himself FROM OTHER CENTERS!!!! This discussion is about CENTERS!!!! U bring up PF-SF combo guys LJ and Barkley! They aren't RELEVANT in this discussion!!!

Holy triggered.:lol

[bizil]

Embiid is shooting 58% from 22 feet out at the same volume.....in the NBA!
Are we saying Embiid is a distance shooter?

R u slow??? We are TALKING ABOUT what peak Bob McAdoo did with the Braves!!! We aren't talking about the Lakers!!! U made it seem like McAdoo NEVER ATTEMPTED shots at 22 feet out. When IN FACT he did consistently in Buffalo!! That doesn't mean he shot a crazy high volume. But MUCH MORE than the other centers in the league! This THREAD is about CENTERS!!

He pointed out what he did PAST HIS PRIME in Italy to show McAdoo LOOKED to score from 22 feet out!! Embiid ISN'T PUTTING UP 35 points a night AND WINNING three straight scoring titles like peak McAdoo!!! But for a 7 foot center, it's IMPRESSIVE what Embid is doing. ONCE AGAIN, FOR A CENTER!!! Not a stretch PF, PG, SG, or SF!!!

And ONCE AGAIN we are talking about centers! Isiah and Reggie forgot more basketball THAN WE WILL EVER KNOW!!! And FOR THIS ARGUMENT, they would EASILY side with my argument over yours. They said on Open Court Mac (when he played PF) was the original stretch PF.

[DaHeezy]

I never said that! But at first, u said Mcadoo was 12 foot pull jump shooter who DIDN'T catch and shoot! That's totally false! It's CLEAR u haven't see a lot of Buffalo Braves footage.
Oh really?? And you have? :lol
I'll share footage on the bottom that illustrates EVERYTHING I said


SECONDLY, I said Mac had range UP TO 22 feet. Which QUALIFIES as 3pt. range in the NBA! I NEVER said he shot a high volume of those shots IN COMPARISON to perimeter players. BUT for CENTERS (which is the topic of discussion), he shot from that range more than ANYBODY ELSE!!!

I'll take your DIRECT quote again

Mac was also hitting jumpers that would have been three pointers in the later eras
Again, your suggesting this was his normal range. And it wasn't.



In the NBA's first three point season, Mac ATTEMPTED more three point shots than ANY OTHER TRUE PF or C that season. Mac was PAST HIS PRIME and only played in 58 games. That TELLS ME Mac was looking to get those shots up MORE from that range than any other true PF or C. HE JUST didn't have the same level of skill anymore. Peak McAdoo was KILLING from 22 feet out ENOUGH to distinguish himself FROM OTHER CENTERS!!!! This discussion is about CENTERS!!!! U bring up PF-SF combo guys LJ and Barkley! They aren't RELEVANT in this discussion!!!
33 shots? :lol and he hit less than 8 %. Great reference

Here is ACTUAL footage of everything I was referencing. As you can see the majority were from 12 feet with the occasional 15 footer. None of which were catch and shoot. They were off rebounds and creating his own shot.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CuQ3unu2YAQ

As you can see while I reference actual stats and real footage you're purely speculating. Then you accuse me of never seeing a game? :lol

I don't know why you're so bent out of shape. Like I've been saying all along I AGREE with you. He is a great jump shooter. I'm confused as to why you want to battle me so much on this. :confusedshrug:
People can be wrong you know. Don't take it as a loss.

[DaHeezy]

R u slow??? We are TALKING ABOUT what peak Bob McAdoo did with the Braves!!! We aren't talking about the Lakers!!! U made it seem like McAdoo NEVER ATTEMPTED shots at 22 feet out. When IN FACT he did consistently in Buffalo!! That doesn't mean he shot a crazy high volume. But MUCH MORE than the other centers in the league! This THREAD is about CENTERS!!
No he didn't, even with the Braves. I just posted ACTUAL Video FOOTAGE representing that in my previous post.


He pointed out what he did PAST HIS PRIME in Italy to show McAdoo LOOKED to score from 22 feet out!! Embiid ISN'T PUTTING UP 35 points a night AND WINNING three straight scoring titles like peak McAdoo!!! But for a 7 foot center, it's IMPRESSIVE what Embid is doing. ONCE AGAIN, FOR A CENTER!!! Not a stretch PF, PG, SG, or SF!!!
So which is it now? Now you're using past his prime? You're argument is all over the map.
My Embiid reference is comparing sample sizes. Using that McAdoo sample size is no different from using the Embiid sample size. They're both just sample sizes. But it should be irrelevant anyways because you're insisting on using the Brave version of McAdoo. Which is why your argument now has become confusing


And ONCE AGAIN we are talking about centers! Isiah and Reggie forgot more basketball THAN WE WILL EVER KNOW!!! And FOR THIS ARGUMENT, they would EASILY side with my argument over yours. They said on Open Court Mac (when he played PF) was the original stretch PF.

Again, I don't understand why you're so worked up. I never knocked him as a shooter. Mark Jackson also said Kobe is better than Jordan. Mark Jackson knows more than we will ever know. Isaiah Thomas also said Magic is better than Jordan. I guess it's true since he's a credible source.

Dude, you need to chill. It's like you think I'm saying McAdoo can't shoot. You're getting worked up over nothing.

[DaHeezy]

Put it this way. I think Reggie Lewis is the greatest jump shooter of all time. He was cash from 15-18. He rarely shot 3's. He may or may not have that range but I loved the way he created for himself. I put McAdoo in the same category.

Stats and footage show he didn't have that range. It's no knock on him. But the proof is out there for everyone to see.

I don't understand why this would bother people? :lol

[Psileas]

Embiid is shooting 58% from 22 feet out at the same volume.....in the NBA!
Are we saying Embiid is a distance shooter?

Let's see him do it for whole seasons and on 2+ attempts per game and, if he does so...yes.

[Pointguard]

I'll take your DIRECT quote again


Mac was also hitting jumpers that would have been three pointers in the later eras
Again, your suggesting this was his normal range. And it wasn't.

This is the source of the whole problem. To say Curry was hitting jumpers out to 35 feet last year does not mean it's his normal range. It simply means he was "Hitting jumpers" that had distance on them. There is nothing there that suggest Mac stayed out there. That's your imagination going there. Where do you get that he said anything about how frequent he was out there. Magic Johnson was "hitting" 50 feet shots in the playoffs - its a true statement (There are more than 5 on youtube). Bizil never said anything about McAdoo's frequency.

[Pointguard]

Put it this way. I think Reggie Lewis is the greatest jump shooter of all time. He was cash from 15-18. He rarely shot 3's. He may or may not have that range but I loved the way he created for himself. I put McAdoo in the same category.

Stats and footage show he didn't have that range. It's no knock on him. But the proof is out there for everyone to see.

I don't understand why this would bother people? :lol
Because we know better. I seen plenty of footage on it. GOAT who used to post here seen it. I think Regular8 who used to post here seen it. We see you around and basically know you aren't here that much. You prefer the other boards and never really have come off as a heavy watcher.

Like I said it wasn't a good shot and it was much more a tool to compromise the defender for Mac. You posted my link from a post season game. Curry doesn't shoot his 35 footers in the playoffs because its not a good shot. Mac was a center doing this 35 years before the next center/ bigman masters it.

[bizil]

This is the source of the whole problem. To say Curry was hitting jumpers out to 35 feet last year does not mean it's his normal range. It simply means he was "Hitting jumpers" that had distance on them. There is nothing there that suggest Mac stayed out there. That's your imagination going there. Where do you get that he said anything about how frequent he was out there. Magic Johnson was "hitting" 50 feet shots in the playoffs - its a true statement (There are more than 5 on youtube). Bizil never said anything about McAdoo's frequency.

Right on the money! 22 foot jumpers were a legit weapon in McAdoo's arsenal. That doesn't mean he stayed out there all night. Or even shot a large volume of shots at that range. But among the great scoring centers, NONE OF THEM really shot a lot of shots at that range (in comparison to perimeter players). Among guys like Kareem, Ewing, Robinson, Dream, Wilt, Shaq, etc., McAdoo is CLEARLY the best shooter! To be the best jump shooting center it needs to be a combo of scoring numbers and your shooting skillset. When u combine those two, I think Mac is the CLEAR ANSWER!

[DaHeezy]

Because we know better. I seen plenty of footage on it. GOAT who used to post here seen it. I think Regular8 who used to post here seen it. We see you around and basically know you aren't here that much. You prefer the other boards and never really have come off as a heavy watcher.

Like I said it wasn't a good shot and it was much more a tool to compromise the defender for Mac. You posted my link from a post season game. Curry doesn't shoot his 35 footers in the playoffs because its not a good shot. Mac was a center doing this 35 years before the next center/ bigman masters it.

A 35 foot jump shot is different than having the ability to be consistent on a 22 foot jump shot. Don't be ridonkulous. Being able to pull up from 22 is serviceable in any game any era to stretch the floor. Shall I pull more highlight and more games? Because he definitely doesn't have it in his arsenal. Otherwise he would use it regularly, and from what I've seen you and your triggered buddy have yet to post irrefutable footage. But keep quoting former posters.

Bringing in the argument of a 35 footer is asinine. It's an abnormal shot. A 22 footer isn't. Go back to the drawing board

[DaHeezy]

Let's see him do it for whole seasons and on 2+ attempts per game and, if he does so...yes.
No. It's called an anomaly. It would be impressive though. But if he does do that you'd put him in the same league as Curry? Or even a lesser volume like D'Angelo Russell?

[DaHeezy]

Right on the money! 22 foot jumpers were a legit weapon in McAdoo's arsenal. That doesn't mean he stayed out there all night. Or even shot a large volume of shots at that range. But among the great scoring centers, NONE OF THEM really shot a lot of shots at that range (in comparison to perimeter players). Among guys like Kareem, Ewing, Robinson, Dream, Wilt, Shaq, etc., McAdoo is CLEARLY the best shooter! To be the best jump shooting center it needs to be a combo of scoring numbers and your shooting skillset. When u combine those two, I think Mac is the CLEAR ANSWER!

Again, a 22 footer was NOT a legit weapon. Even your boy established that.

Dude, maybe you should sit this one out and let me and point gaurd discuss this because your posts are either confusing or you're a yes man for whomever agrees with you. At least Point gaurds posts are more undrstandable.

You're not even coherent enough to understand I am agreeing with you.

[Round Mound]

I cant believe no one mentioned Patrick Ewing :facepalm :rolleyes: :wtf: :rant :banghead: :hammerhead: . Ewing was the best jump shooting center. As far as big men, in general tall shooters? McAdoo, Bird and Dirk are in the conversation.

[bizil]

No. It's called an anomaly. It would be impressive though. But if he does do that you'd put him in the same league as Curry? Or even a lesser volume like D'Angelo Russell?

DAMN!!!! We are talking about CENTERS!!!! Stop bringing up OTHER POSITIONS!!!

[bizil]

I cant believe no one mentioned Patrick Ewing :facepalm :rolleyes: :wtf: :rant :banghead: :hammerhead: . Ewing was the best jump shooting center. As far as big men, in general tall shooters? McAdoo, Bird and Dirk are in the conversation.

Pat's up there for sure. BUT McAdoo's peak years in Buffalo were as a center. So when it comes to Mac vs. Pat, Mac had the edge!

[DaHeezy]

DAMN!!!! We are talking about CENTERS!!!! Stop bringing up OTHER POSITIONS!!!

Ok, now I know you're definitely incoherent. It's a completely different subject.

Dude, take a time out. You're lost.

[bizil]

Again, a 22 footer was NOT a legit weapon. Even your boy established that.

Dude, maybe you should sit this one out and let me and point gaurd discuss this because your posts are either confusing or you're a yes man for whomever agrees with you. At least Point gaurds posts are more undrstandable.

You're not even coherent enough to understand I am agreeing with you.

You're a clown! Post for post u aren't on my level on this site! Where we disagree is McAdoo's scoring skillset. U REALLY UNDERESTIMATE the range on his jumper. And his overall impact on the game! I said in EARLIER POSTS his bread and butter was his midrange game.

[DaHeezy]

Pat's up there for sure. BUT McAdoo's peak years in Buffalo were as a center. So when it comes to Mac vs. Pat, Mac had the edge!

Are you going to bring up the fact he said Bird and Dirk? I thought this was about the CENTER POSITION :hammerhead:

[DaHeezy]

You're a clown! Post for post u aren't on my level on this site! Where we disagree is McAdoo's scoring skillset. U REALLY UNDERESTIMATE the range on his jumper. And his overall impact on the game! I said in EARLIER POSTS his bread and butter was his midrange game.

Dude, you're completely retarded. Not only are you incoherent that you can't tell when someone is agreeing with you, you're clearly somebody who has no known recollection of NBA history. If I had to take a stab at it you're some South American kid who's still trying to learn English and learned the NBA from SLAM magazines. You have no grasp of the content of what is even being discussed.

Again, sit this out and let the big boys talk. Or at least get an ESL translator to help translate what is really going on.

[DaHeezy]

Career 8 for 37. :lol
Yup! He has it in his ARSE-**** alright :roll:

[warriorfan]

McAdoo had knock down range from corner 3 in

He was talented enough where if he grew up with the NBA 3 point shot he would of developed the range

[Psileas]

No. It's called an anomaly. It would be impressive though. But if he does do that you'd put him in the same league as Curry? Or even a lesser volume like D'Angelo Russell?

What do you mean by "anomaly"? Is Embiid's ability the anomaly or are his numbers fake?
If anything, if he's an anomaly, then it's confirmed that he's a great shooter. But taking a decent amount of 3's over a big sample of games and making lots of them means he isn't fake. Up to now, his career is too short, so I'm not commenting on him yet, since it's not clear how valid his numbers are.

[Pointguard]

A 35 foot jump shot is different than having the ability to be consistent on a 22 foot jump shot. Don't be ridonkulous. Being able to pull up from 22 is serviceable in any game any era to stretch the floor. Shall I pull more highlight and more games? Because he definitely doesn't have it in his arsenal. Otherwise he would use it regularly, and from what I've seen you and your triggered buddy have yet to post irrefutable footage. But keep quoting former posters.

Bringing in the argument of a 35 footer is asinine. It's an abnormal shot. A 22 footer isn't. Go back to the drawing board
I brought up the 35 foot range to show you that players don't push their range in the playoffs. I seen Shaq hit 15 footers but he doesn't take them in the playoffs. Mac didn't have to take 22 footers. He was quick and had handles.

Point number 2. In the video I provided there is one thing you would immediately know watching McAdoo if you ever played ball - he's incredibly bouncy for a tall player. He was a great rebounder as well and was rank in blocking shots. You rarely ever see any player get as much height on their jump shot as Mac in the history of the game. Its obvious that when a bouncy super scorer, only a handfull of players in the history of the game ever got past 33 ppg, loses his bounce, super scoring, rebounding and blocking shot ability he is going through major adjustments. By the time three pointers come around he lost that bounce. Do you know the relationship between bounce and shot? Obviously you don't because you have brought up longevity and guys like Charles Barkley. When Barkley lost 13ppg on his average his long range sucked.

Point three, stop acting like you seen a lot of footage. Plenty of the footage on youtube has bee taken down. In fact you posted my clip because of the dearth that is out there. And because of your oversight mentioned in my previous paragraph it wouldn't matter if you seen a ton of video because you dont recognize very simple things.

[ClipperRevival]

Off topic but McAdoo had an amazing 3 year peak (1974 - 1976):

32.1 PPG, 13.8 RPG, 3 time scoring champ

[warriorfan]

Off topic but McAdoo had an amazing 3 year peak (1974 - 1976):

32.1 PPG, 13.8 RPG, 3 time scoring champ

A lot of people remember McAdoo when he was washed up on the Lakers but when he was young during those years you mentioned he won a MVP over prime KAJ

[LAZERUSS]

There is very little footage of a prime McAdoo. I believe one full playoff game, and a few minutes of highlights.

There is some footage from his Euro days, and even then he was approaching 40.

But he most assuredly had 20 ft range. I would go as far as to say that McAdoo was Durant before KD was. No, he wasn't shooting NBA 3's, of course, there was no 3 pt line when he was in his prime. And the reality of the 80's was that very few teams were shooting 3's. It was still considered more of a desperation than a strategy.

But those that actually saw a prime McAdoo, and I was certainly one who did, would attest to his range. He was ROUTINELY taking 20 footers. Hell, even in the footage that we have, you will notice defenders are going for his pump fakes from 20 feet. That is all you need to know.

And if the 3pt shot was used then, as it is today, you can be sure that many of the great shooters of that era would have adapted to it. I saw Jerry Lucas hit some 20 straight shots from between the circles at a pre-game shoot-around in the early 70's.

In any case, a prime McAdoo was a scoring machine. At one time basketball reference had a copy of an article in one his box scores, in which he hit 17 straight shots...and he was playing against Kareem in that game, and wound up with 45 points.

He has a case as THE GOAT "jump shooting" center.

[bizil]

I brought up the 35 foot range to show you that players don't push their range in the playoffs. I seen Shaq hit 15 footers but he doesn't take them in the playoffs. Mac didn't have to take 22 footers. He was quick and had handles.

Point number 2. In the video I provided there is one thing you would immediately know watching McAdoo if you ever played ball - he's incredibly bouncy for a tall player. He was a great rebounder as well and was rank in blocking shots. You rarely ever see any player get as much height on their jump shot as Mac in the history of the game. Its obvious that when a bouncy super scorer, only a handfull of players in the history of the game ever got past 33 ppg, loses his bounce, super scoring, rebounding and blocking shot ability he is going through major adjustments. By the time three pointers come around he lost that bounce. Do you know the relationship between bounce and shot? Obviously you don't because you have brought up longevity and guys like Charles Barkley. When Barkley lost 13ppg on his average his long range sucked.

Point three, stop acting like you seen a lot of footage. Plenty of the footage on youtube has bee taken down. In fact you posted my clip because of the dearth that is out there. And because of your oversight mentioned in my previous paragraph it wouldn't matter if you seen a ton of video because you dont recognize very simple things.

Well said! In comparison to other legends, Mac wasn't a great player FOR A LONG sustained 12-13 year run. In 79-80 he only played 58 games for Detroit. And in 80-81, he only played in 16 games. By the time he hit the Lakers (only at age 30) in 81-82, the injuries already took their toll. His first two years with the Lakers, he only played 41 and 47 games in the regular season. So Mac CLEARLY at only 30 years old was past him prime. You could watch the game tape and tell McAdoo wasn't the same player.

However, Riley knew Bob could still contribute off the bench for scoring punch. BUT if prime McAdoo was on the Lakers, he would have been starting at the PF spot. Him and Kareem would have been the most dominant PF-C combo of all time! Why do people think Mac wasn't starting in the first place? It was because he was past him prime at that point.