I was going to post in the Draymond Green thread but decided to open it up more generally. It's seems beyond doubt that Draymond Green is the top glue player right now. He can score all the way out to the 3pt line, defend, rebound, steal, block, assist, etc. He does the dirty work to facilitate teammates scoring and defense even as he isn't at the level to lead a team himself. But aside from Green, who are the other top glue players now and who are the best glue players of all time? (For active players, Nick Batum maybe? Obviously for retired players, there's Shane Battier.)
What distinguishes top all around players vs top glue players though is that a glue player isn't quite at the level to lead a team or build around. You can build around Harden and James. I can't see building around Green as your best player.
One of the first names that pops up in my mind for glue guy is Tayshawn Prince. Current players maybe like a Marcus Smart, Gary Harris, Wes Matthews, Otto Porter, Robert Covington, DeMare Carroll, Gorgui Dieng, Mo Harkless, our own Trevor Ariza, Sam Dekker? Don't think Paul Millsap is someone you would like to build a team around, but he's definitely more than just a glue guy
I know that Rodman is the greatest rebounder of all time. But did he do enough outside of rebounding to be a glue guy?
Yeah. He brought hustle, attitude, defense. He could also pass and play a role on offense, if I'm not mistaken. I'd have to say Hedo Turkoglue.
with some of his makeup resduie, every moving object nearby sticked and glued to him, including the ball
It seems like you have a very specific idea of what being a glue guy means. To me, a glue guy is someone that makes his team better, but doesn't fill up the stat sheet. Draymond Green has a triple double that nobody else has ever achieved. By definition, I'd argue that he is more than glue. He's part of the engine that makes the GSW's go.
Your definition more or less matches mine. But I think Green fits since he really doesn't fill up the stat sheets most days either. The triple double game was an exceptional game stats wise as are games where he scores 30+. But I agree that Green is far more of a contributor than the typical glue player. kanggang actually made a good comparison between Green and Tayshaun Prince.
Eh, Tayshaun was one of my favorite players in the league when he was active, but he has nowhere near the court vision Draymond does. Seriously. I hate green. He's a dumbass. But he's a damn good basketball player, and comparing him to any role player doesn't do him justice.
Without a doubt, Scottie Pippen is the greatest glue guy ever to play in the NBA. He couldn't carry the bulls without MJ, you couldn't construct the Rockets or the Blazers around him being "the guy". He defended every position, scored when he needed to, handled and facilitated the ball when he needed to. When he was second and third fiddle, he flourished. When he was the man, he slipped into the shadows.
