How many players are better than Karl Malone today?

[iamgine]

Not peak Karl Malone. Just...general Karl Malone. Pick a non MVP year.

[SouBeachTalents]

Jokic, Giannis & Luka are the 3 definitively better than Malone, he'd have good arguments over anybody else.

[Full Court]

The ones already mentioned.

Plus Anthony Davis, SGA, and maybe Tatum.

[Kblaze8855]

Quite a few are better from the perspective of what you would want him to do as a modern center(which he’d likely be). But that isn’t the same as being better. He might be of less use to the current Celtics than a healthy Porzingis, but he’s better at basketball.

The best aspects of his defense, were his one on one post defense and his physicality defending the rim. He could draw charges, which would be of use right now, but he loses some of calling cards.

on the other end, he would be fine. He could do the up Temple game no problem. He might not have gotten so bulky and he could shoot better than I think people now probably assume. So I suspect he could develop as a three-point shooter to some extent, but that’s getting to a place where we are creating a new player not talking about the one that was.

Just as he was? Hed be a real fish out of water. If he had teammates who weren’t assholes and realized how good he was running the floor for early deep position on mismatches, they could feast in transition and early offense, but so few bigs even do that guards don’t even look for it anymore.

post scoring is so undesired guys don’t even realize it can be part of Temple play. Guys like Shaq, Malone, and Barkley running full speed right down the court under the basket before everyone is set created so many easy baskets and nobody would be prepared to do anything about it right now.

If he could bring Stockton with him, he would still be top 10 on day one. If he had luck of the draw? Be quite a transition.

with a team who knew what he was capable of and bought into it? With these rules, it would be pretty hard to keep him off the line the way he could face up and find contact on drives. But it’s all contingent on who he played with.

[999Guy]

Jokic, Giannis & Luka are the 3 definitively better than Malone, he'd have good arguments over anybody else.

Giannis is playing with such little substance to his game. There is no way he's better than Malone's best right now. Giannis is a one-way player this year who is useless offensively if he isn't playing running back to the rim.

Luka is iffy but I'll give it.

Jokic, SGA, Luka. Only definite guys. Tatum is not this good. I truly believe he'll have another mediocre playoff run this year. Only way he won't is if he was injured is past years but i seriously doubt it. I'm not giving Tatum's best 20 game RS stretch more credit than a guy who was an all-star guy for over 15 years.

AD is possibly better. Embiid is definitely better when right and so is Kawhi but that's dream world scenarios.


Steph is about as good when right. So that's 3 guys at least, and up to 7.

But realistically he'd be a top 5 guy in his peak years like mid-90s. Just as he was then.

[Xiao Yao You]

He never missed games and played both ends of the floor so most of those mentioned are laughable. Imagine karl and load management :roll:

[RRR3]

He never missed games and played both ends of the floor so most of those mentioned are laughable. Imagine karl and load management :roll:
Meltdown

[Carbine]

Steph is nowhere near as good as prime Malone right now.

A normal season for Malone is All NBA 1st, top 3-5 MVP voting.

Curry won't be first team all nba and certainly not in the MVP convo. It's possible Curry is not All-NBA actually, if not probable.

[Xiao Yao You]

Cant quit me

[BarberSchool]

Skillwise ? Most of the league.

Results/outcome/production wise ? Not many. Maybe 8-10 players.

Steph
KD
Bran
Luka
Giannis
Jokic
Shai
Embiid
Day-to-Davis

Malone was a very highly assisted player, not someone who had a deep/versatile ISO game.

Also, he’s someone who couldn’t handle the ball well enough to be a reliable playmaker for others out of his iso actions. He passed out of doubles well enough to his shooters, but couldn’t handle it well enough to really draw insane gravity towards him and then create new angles and more space. Overrated player. Barkley was far far greater.

[Phoenix]

Skillwise ? Most of the league.

Results/outcome/production wise ? Not many. Maybe 8-10 players.

Steph
KD
Bran
Luka
Giannis
Jokic
Shai
Embiid
Day-to-Davis

Malone was a very highly assisted player, not someone who had a deep/versatile ISO game.

Also, he’s someone who couldn’t handle the ball well enough to be a reliable playmaker for others out of his iso actions. He passed out of doubles well enough to his shooters, but couldn’t handle it well enough to really draw insane gravity towards him and then create new angles and more space. Overrated player. Barkley was far far greater.

Today's versions of Steph, KD and especially Lebron aren't better than peak Malone. KD maybe on some nights but not over a season. I think he'd be just fine with today's PnR happy league but the question is always are we taking him as he was, or assuming he'd pick up more modern traits( a virtual certainty)? By mid 90s he had a pretty lethal face up game and routinely could stick jumpers. Physically he'd be more than fine but he may not bulk now as he did then.

[tontoz]

Giannis is playing with such little substance to his game. There is no way he's better than Malone's best right now. Giannis is a one-way player this year who is useless offensively if he isn't playing running back to the rim.


FYI giannis is shooting 52.9% from 10-16 feet and 45.5% from 16 ft to the 3 pt line.

[Hey Yo]

Today's versions of Steph, KD and especially Lebron aren't better than peak Malone. KD maybe on some nights but not over a season. I think he'd be just fine with today's PnR happy league but the question is always are we taking him as he was, or assuming he'd pick up more modern traits( a virtual certainty)? By mid 90s he had a pretty lethal face up game and routinely could stick jumpers. Physically he'd be more than fine but he may not bulk now as he did then.
His midders were so fluent and looked effortlessly at times.... pretty to watch.

[Reggie43]

Not many and he has an argument to be better over anyone playing today especially if you factor in his insanely high ball iq on both ends of the floor plus the strength and athleticism he had in his younger days.

He was winning MVP over Goat level players and I don't think there is a huge difference with his non mvp years because he won them at the backend of his prime.

[Phoenix]

His midders were so fluent and looked effortlessly at times.... pretty to watch.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKedq1udBZ8&ab_channel=JazzBasketball1

[Xiao Yao You]

Not many and he has an argument to be better over anyone playing today especially if you factor in his insanely high ball iq on both ends of the floor plus the strength and athleticism he had in his younger days.

He was winning MVP over Goat level players and I don't think there is a huge difference with his non mvp years because he won them at the backend of his prime.

His passing and shooti g improved i. His latter years didnt band as much in the paint

[bizil]

He would be a superstar in today's game. BUT his postional versatility and skillset is SOMEWHAT OUTDATED at the PF spot. You got guys like Giannis and Zion. You got wing players like Bron, KD, and Tatum playing PF as their primary position now. Even though AD plays the five mainly now, his best position is PF. Once guys like Kemp, LJ, Webb, and DC came in the league, They were more from the tree of Barkley. NOT THE MAILMAN! YOU COULD SEE Malone's style of PF was slowly gonna fade away.

Then when guys like KG, Duncan, Dirk, Mcdyess, and Sheed,etc. came in the league came in that hammered the point home even more. Malone was ACTUALLY a better player than most of the PF's I named. BUT teams value things like postional versatility, freak athletic ability, handles, and deep shooting ability AS PREMIUM ASSETS for a superstar PF today. Malone would be LIMITED in those aspects in today's game. ESPECIALLY when you factor wings like Bron, KD, and Tatum playing more exclusively as PF's.

So the Mailman would be a superstar. BUT I could see him playing more center in today's game. WHERE defensively he would be better of defending a Joker, Embid, or KAT than a Gianns, Bron, KD, or Tatum. So he would be like a Elvin Hayes type PF-C combo. RATHER THAN being a pure PF who played basically 95-99% of the time as a PF! I think he would be dominant enough to be a top 10 player in the league.

BUT it could be more as a center actually. At the PF, it would be the fact that he would be SO PHYSICALLY DOMINANT as a scorer (which he could be of course) that it would SUPERCEDE his weakness. Shaq was NEVER AS SKILLED as Dream, David, Ewing, or Zo. BUT he was so physically dominant that he peaked higher than any of them besides the Dream. For Malone to thrive as PF in today's game (which he could ), it would be the same thing. Just think he could be MORE VALUABLE and better off at the 5 in today's game.

[90sgoat]

I think people underestimate Karl Malone, he'd be an absolute force at the 5 and he could easily step out and hit some 3s.

Wouldn't matter though, because he could run the floor and could space. We see Embiid dominating from the midrange as does Porzingis and Malone did it better than both and was also a great mobile defender and a strong rebounder.

Definitely a perennial MVP candidate.

[Xiao Yao You]

I think people underestimate Karl Malone, he'd be an absolute force at the 5 and he could easily step out and hit some 3s.

Wouldn't matter though, because he could run the floor and could space. We see Embiid dominating from the midrange as does Porzingis and Malone did it better than both and was also a great mobile defender and a strong rebounder.

Definitely a perennial MVP candidate.

And he showed up every nite for 20 years

[bizil]

I think people underestimate Karl Malone, he'd be an absolute force at the 5 and he could easily step out and hit some 3s.

Wouldn't matter though, because he could run the floor and could space. We see Embiid dominating from the midrange as does Porzingis and Malone did it better than both and was also a great mobile defender and a strong rebounder.

Definitely a perennial MVP candidate.

I agree! Malone would be a superstar in today's game. He could easily slide to the 5 in today's game. He would be STRONGER than any five in the league. Run the floor as well as any 5 in the league. Shoot the midrange as well as any 5 in the league. Plus he could still get 4 dimes a game and 11-12 RPG. At the PF, he would still be a superstar and adapt as much as he could. Just at the five in today's game he could be better off.

[Hey Yo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKedq1udBZ8&ab_channel=JazzBasketball1

Yep.... that

[Thenameless]

His results today would be very teammate and situation dependent. If his team has a good distributor that likes him, and he is the focal point of the offense he would still be deadly. I remember him being tops in the league in free throw attempts year in and year out. If a guy like Jerami Grant can average around 20 or 21 points, Malone could easily be in the high 20's or low 30's with high usage. And then there's the added benefit of his "real value" - the guy just didn't miss many games. If he ends up on a team that's obsessed with shooting 3's like Boston or Golden State, then he ends up riding the pine more often than he should.

[Reggie43]

Among all the great bigmen in Nba history, Malone is probably the best at moving without the ball and running the floor. No Coach or pointguard is dumb enough not to feed him the ball on the break, on the postup or having an open jumper/drive off the pick and roll.

Having more shooters on the court to space the floor for him to operate literally guarantees he will get his numbers and then some. Todays modern style, pace and space would help his numbers more than Stockton ever did.

[tpols]

Karl Malone would dominate in today's PnR spam league. It'd be a walk in the park. Teams didn't use the PnR as much in his day, they liked feeding the post and isos. Today would be perfect for his style.

[Duffy Pratt]

In the years he shot 25 or more threes, he averaged just a hair under 33%. I doubt he ever practiced them. There’s no reason to think that he would not have become a competent three point shooter from a couple of spots if that were crucial to a team’s offense.

Now, imagine him in the dunker’s spot on Denver instead of Aaron Gordon. Put him on the Pacers instead of Siakam (already an all-star), and it would be a vast improvement.

[L.Kizzle]

Not many. Wasn't too many better than him in his day. The same would apply in any era. A top 5ish player any given year.

[ILLsmak]

Karl Malone would dominate in today's PnR spam league. It'd be a walk in the park. Teams didn't use the PnR as much in his day, they liked feeding the post and isos. Today would be perfect for his style.

Yea dudes didn't even mention how good he was at setting picks.

I think he could def hit 3s. He was just comfy a couple feet in. A lot of dudes were like that like Alridge or KG. Doesn't really make sense, but if people convinced them that 3s were worth taking a couple steps back, they'd be good.

-Smak

[ShawkFactory]

Karl Malone would dominate in today's PnR spam league. It'd be a walk in the park. Teams didn't use the PnR as much in his day, they liked feeding the post and isos. Today would be perfect for his style.

Well his team did :lol

[warriorfan]

He would be a superstar in today's game. BUT his postional versatility and skillset is SOMEWHAT OUTDATED at the PF spot. You got guys like Giannis and Zion. You got wing players like Bron, KD, and Tatum playing PF as their primary position now. Even though AD plays the five mainly now, his best position is PF. Once guys like Kemp, LJ, Webb, and DC came in the league, They were more from the tree of Barkley. NOT THE MAILMAN! YOU COULD SEE Malone's style of PF was slowly gonna fade away.

Then when guys like KG, Duncan, Dirk, Mcdyess, and Sheed,etc. came in the league came in that hammered the point home even more. Malone was ACTUALLY a better player than most of the PF's I named. BUT teams value things like postional versatility, freak athletic ability, handles, and deep shooting ability AS PREMIUM ASSETS for a superstar PF today. Malone would be LIMITED in those aspects in today's game. ESPECIALLY when you factor wings like Bron, KD, and Tatum playing more exclusively as PF's.

So the Mailman would be a superstar. BUT I could see him playing more center in today's game. WHERE defensively he would be better of defending a Joker, Embid, or KAT than a Gianns, Bron, KD, or Tatum. So he would be like a Elvin Hayes type PF-C combo. RATHER THAN being a pure PF who played basically 95-99% of the time as a PF! I think he would be dominant enough to be a top 10 player in the league.

BUT it could be more as a center actually. At the PF, it would be the fact that he would be SO PHYSICALLY DOMINANT as a scorer (which he could be of course) that it would SUPERCEDE his weakness. Shaq was NEVER AS SKILLED as Dream, David, Ewing, or Zo. BUT he was so physically dominant that he peaked higher than any of them besides the Dream. For Malone to thrive as PF in today's game (which he could ), it would be the same thing. Just think he could be MORE VALUABLE and better off at the 5 in today's game.

Nice post

Karl at the 5 would be insane offensively

[tpols]

In the years he shot 25 or more threes, he averaged just a hair under 33%. I doubt he ever practiced them. There’s no reason to think that he would not have become a competent three point shooter from a couple of spots if that were crucial to a team’s offense.

Now, imagine him in the dunker’s spot on Denver instead of Aaron Gordon. Put him on the Pacers instead of Siakam (already an all-star), and it would be a vast improvement.


There are some players I honestly wouldn't want to take a lot of 3s. Elite 2pt scorers and bruisers like Malone or Barkley are better off beating the other team up, getting them in foul trouble, maybe getting an And-1. When Charles started shooting 3s all it did was lower his already GOAT efficiency. Wasn't worth it. Let Karl play like Giannis, except Malone actually had a great midrange jumper so his game is more dynamic.