Best combo of build and athleticism: Shaq, Lebron or Wemby?

[iamgine]

Who has the best combo of build and athleticism? Which would you choose if you're coming out in 2024 draft?

[Full Court]

Who has the best combo of build and athleticism? Which would you choose if you're coming out in 2024 draft?

If we're strictly talking about build and athleticism combo, it's Lebron. However, if you factor in other things, like Shaq not being able to hit a free throw, or Lebron consistently choking in the clutch, I'd probably put my eggs in the Wemby basket even though he's still unproven.

[John8204]

LOL Shaq being "athletic" does cardio not matter


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GNs6H6a4_A

You look at Nate Thurmond or George Mikan or Wilt Chamberlain dominant players that weren't lard asses.

[SATAN]

The obvious answer is LeBron...

[bison]

Depends if you like length or girth on a man…

We all know lebron falls short in both areas

[Reggie43]

Shaq easy

[ImKobe]

The obvious answer is LeBron...


Wemby's size gives him a much bigger advantage than the other 2 builds. He can block layups & jump shots and dunk without needing to jump. That's so fking OP.

[elementally morale]

Shaq

Work ethic is the only thing that stopped him to become even greater than he was. As for Wemby, I do like the guy but as far as impact as a rookie goes he is arguably not even top 5 all time at his position. Wilt, Kareem, Shaq and Duncan were definitely better. Wemby's ceiling is very high due to his build but it's a long road. Can I see him as one of the all time greats? I can. But at this point it's not a given.

[hateraid]

Wemby is height and skill. He's an entirely different category.

Build and athleticism coming out of the draft Lebron and close behind Shaq. But Shaq's height and intangible of being literally unstoppable would make me clearly choose him over any player all time.

[Wardell Curry]

Without hindsight available and just knowing what we knew before each draft and before anyone played in the NBA, Shaq is the #1 prospect in league history.

https://thesportsrush.com/nba-news-printed-up-a-jersey-with-shaqs-name-1992-draft-night-saw-11-teams-compete-to-sign-shaquille-oneal-magic-bagged-him-despite-15-percent-probability/


All eleven men representing their franchises in the NBA draft lottery had printed up a team jersey with Shaq’s name embossed in big letters above their respective logos. There was a Dallas Shaq jersey, a Milwaukee Shaq jersey, and a Washington Shaq jersey. With ten of the sixty-six Ping-Pong balls in the mix bearing Orlando’s name, the Magic had just over a 15 percent chance of landing the big fella. One by one, the draft order was revealed.

The Houston Rockets were stuck with No. 11 and a Shaq jersey that was instantly rendered useless. The Atlanta Hawks suffered a similar fate when their logo popped up at No. 10. As the Shaq sweepstakes dwindled to five, Mavericks owner Donald Carter caressed his lucky coyote tooth, but it yielded him only the fourth overall pick. Finally, there were three teams left standing—Charlotte, Minnesota, and Orlando.”

Every team in the lottery had a Shaq jersey ready before the lottery even happened. Did that happen before or since? I don't believe so.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QCYbMTHBOQ

"Who, Me?"

https://www.news-herald.com/wp-content/uploads/migration/2012/04/d1bee79c1e946fae39e1f4221428c741.jpg?w=535

We've had other instances where jerseys with names happened on lottery night, but not with every single team present.

In other words, literally nobody was even considering trading the pick.

[Xiao Yao You]

Shaq

Work ethic is the only thing that stopped him to become even greater than he was. As for Wemby, I do like the guy but as far as impact as a rookie goes he is arguably not even top 5 all time at his position. Wilt, Kareem, Shaq and Duncan were definitely better. Wemby's ceiling is very high due to his build but it's a long road. Can I see him as one of the all time greats? I can. But at this point it's not a given.

but I've been told except for Duncan all of that is prehistory and doesn't count so Wemby is one of the all time rookies even if he's not the best this year!

[SATAN]

Wemby is one of the all time rookies even if he's not the best this year!

Explain the reason for this meltdown pls...

[ImKobe]

but I've been told except for Duncan all of that is prehistory and doesn't count so Wemby is one of the all time rookies even if he's not the best this year!

He's easily a top 20, IMO a top 15 rookie all-time.

There's no doubting it at this point. Idk why you're hating so hard. He's averaging 21/10/3/1/3 in just 28.6 mpg. His per 100 possession numbers are better than almost any rookie in NBA history. Per 100 possessions he's averaging more pts/ast/stl/blks than rookie Shaq & has rookie Duncan beat across the board. He's producing on all levels.

[Xiao Yao You]

He's easily a top 20, IMO a top 15 rookie all-time.

There's no doubting it at this point. Idk why you're hating so hard. He's averaging 21/10/3/1/3 in just 28.6 mpg. His per 100 possession numbers are better than almost any rookie in NBA history. Per 100 possessions he's averaging more pts/ast/stl/blks than rookie Shaq.

I'm not hating. He's good but to ignore the 80's and much of the 90's because they supposedly aren't modern while comparing his numbers in in an inflated era is ridiculous

[ImKobe]

I'm not hating. He's good but to ignore the 80's and much of the 90's because they supposedly aren't modern while comparing his numbers in in an inflated era is ridiculous

80s were inflated as **** too. I'm not ignoring shit. He's easily having a top 15 all-time rookie season, so how is that not one of the best ever? If you need to go back 25+ years to find a better rookie season he's doing something right lmao.

[StrongLurk]

Going with Shaq or Lebron.

Wemby's build gives be serious injury concerns.

[Xiao Yao You]

80s were inflated as **** too. I'm not ignoring shit. He's easily having a top 15 all-time rookie season, so how is that not one of the best ever? If you need to go back 25+ years to find a better rookie season he's doing something right lmao.

could arguably go back just this year for something better

[dankok8]

Shaq for sure. He's 7'1'' with 7'8'' wingspan. Legendary quickness and explosiveness for that size. Also 280 lbs on draft night and built like a tank. Wemby doesn't have an NBA body and Lebron is a ridiculous athlete but he's 6'8''. You can't teach height.

[j3lademaster]

Shaq for sure. He's 7'1'' with 7'8'' wingspan. Legendary quickness and explosiveness for that size. Also 280 lbs on draft night and built like a tank. Wemby doesn't have an NBA body and Lebron is a ridiculous athlete but he's 6'8''. You can't teach height.Shaq is freakish on the break and an insanely quick spin in the post, but he doesn't have the lateral quickness. He was getting cooked by 90's PnR's, what do you think guards today are going to do to him? And Wemby doesn't have an nba body? He's averaging 21/10 and leading the league with a ridiculous 3.3 blocks. He'd be a legitimate dpoy candidate if his team wasn't so bad.

[tpols]

Shaq for sure. He's 7'1'' with 7'8'' wingspan. Legendary quickness and explosiveness for that size. Also 280 lbs on draft night and built like a tank. Wemby doesn't have an NBA body and Lebron is a ridiculous athlete but he's 6'8''. You can't teach height.

Can't teach height but Lebron was way faster than Shaq. He was arguably the fastest player in the league in his prime @ 250+ lbs. That's Bo Jackson shit.

[ImKobe]

could arguably go back just this year for something better

There's nothing better this year. Chet fell off while Wemby's stock keeps rising. Wemby's putting up better numbers across the board with less minutes per game. He has a massive lead in the ROTY race.

[ImKobe]

could arguably go back just this year for something better

Oh yeah and Steph is not one of the greatest players ever because Lebron is playing in the league as well and he's arguably greater. Being a top 10 all-time GOAT candidate doesn't mean you're one of the best to ever do it. Toody stan logic at it's best.

[Xiao Yao You]

There's nothing better this year. Chet fell off while Wemby's stock keeps rising. Wemby's putting up better numbers across the board with less minutes per game. He has a massive lead in the ROTY race.

advanced numbers favor Chet

[Xiao Yao You]

Oh yeah and Steph is not one of the greatest players ever because Lebron is playing in the league as well and he's arguably greater. Being a top 10 all-time GOAT candidate doesn't mean you're one of the best to ever do it. Toody stan logic at it's best.

I watched MJ be one of the best players in the game from day 1 so sorry if Wemby doesn't get me as excited as he does you. I do realize that was not modern basketball in the mid 80's

[RRR3]

Explain the reason for this meltdown pls...
Wemby being better than his loverboy already makes him have tantrums.

[ImKobe]

I watched MJ be one of the best players in the game from day 1 so sorry if Wemby doesn't get me as excited as he does you. I do realize that was not modern basketball in the mid 80's

So Wemby isn't one of the best players in the game already?

His start was kinda meh/inconsistent, but since Jan 1st (25 games), he's put up 23/10/4/1/4 on 49/35/84 splits and he's playing 27.5 mpg in these games. To me he's been a top 15 player in the last 2 months but I guess that's not good enough.

[Xiao Yao You]

So Wemby isn't one of the best players in the game already?

His start was kinda meh/inconsistent, but since Jan 1st (25 games), he's put up 23/10/4/1/4 on 49/35/84 splits and he's playing 27.5 mpg in these games. To me he's been a top 15 player in the last 2 months but I guess that's not good enough.

all star voters didn't think so and I'm sure all NBA voters won't either. If he was the Spurs would be competing at least. How they been doing the past 2 months?

[Wardell Curry]

All Star votes and All NBA votes are popularity contests. All NBA less so, but it still is. We've seen players make various All NBA lists for years when it's clear they didn't deserve it and are living off of reputation or nationally televised games.

[Xiao Yao You]

All Star votes and All NBA votes are popularity contests. All NBA less so, but it still is. We've seen players make various All NBA lists for years when it's clear they didn't deserve it and are living off of reputation or nationally televised games.

winning matters. When Wemby's team is at least competitive let me know

[WhiteKyrie]

Of those three? LeBron. For obvious reasons. Wemby will break down. Those limbs are too long and lanky and especially the way he plays. It’s happened time and time again.

[Xiao Yao You]

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said that his star rookie has exceeded expectations and evokes memories of Spurs legend and Hall of Famer David Robinson. The 7-1 Robinson averaged 24.3 points, 12 rebounds, 3.9 blocks and 1.7 steals for the Spurs during the 1989-90 season en route to the 1990 NBA Rookie of the Year award. “It’s more than I expected as far as the stats are concerned,” Popovich said. “I didn’t know he was going to lead the league in shot blocking. It’s kind of like the David Robinson thing. We’d finish a game and start taking David for granted so much. We’d say, ‘Damn, David, did he rebound tonight? What did he score tonight?’ I’m thinking he got 12, 15 points. And you look at the stats and was 24 points and 11 rebounds and three blocks. And you didn’t realize it while the game was going on because you expect it from him.” (https://andscape.com/features/the-education-of-victor-wembanyama-continues/)

– via Andscape (https://andscape.com/features/the-education-of-victor-wembanyama-continues/)




so Wemby at best 3rd best rookie in Spurs history let alone one of the best ever

[ImKobe]

so Wemby at best 3rd best rookie in Spurs history let alone one of the best ever

4+ years younger than rookie D-Rob btw.


all star voters didn't think so and I'm sure all NBA voters won't either. If he was the Spurs would be competing at least. How they been doing the past 2 months?

He's had a bunch more great games since then so his case is growing stronger with each day. Most people have him in the top 15-20 range. So he is in fact one of the best players in the league as a rookie.

[Xiao Yao You]

4+ years younger than rookie D-Rob btw.

yep and David wasn't playing against 19 and 20 year olds

[ImKobe]

yep and David wasn't playing against 19 and 20 year olds

So Wemby hasn't played well vs experienced bigs? Didn't he have a game where he beat Toody?

[Xiao Yao You]

So Wemby hasn't played well vs experienced bigs? Didn't he have a game where he beat Toody?

Didn't say that. Few guys under 21 at that time.

[ImKobe]

Didn't say that. Few guys under 21 at that time.

The average/median age was like 1.5 higher then compared to now, not like Wemby's playing against scrubs out here. He's delivering vs. everyone and he's been insanely consistent the past 2+ months without many lows. He's consistently putting up like 18-20 points and 10+ rebounds with 3+ assists & 3+ blocks and he's doing this in 27-28 minutes a night. He had the best game of his young career against AD.

[Xiao Yao You]

The average/median age was like 1.5 higher then compared to now, not like Wemby's playing against scrubs out here. He's delivering vs. everyone and he's been insanely consistent the past 2+ months without many lows. He's consistently putting up like 18-20 points and 10+ rebounds with 3+ assists & 3+ blocks and he's doing this in 27-28 minutes a night. He had the best game of his young career against AD.

and still the 3rd best rookie in his franchise's history at best