Wilt was not a superior runner on the basketball floor. I've watched a number of his games on Youtube. He jogged up and down the floor, perhaps to conserve energy. He was certainly not a ball-handler like Simmons. And Wilt's free throws were abysmal no matter how he shot them. I don't know what you are referring to there.
He also had a 48 inch vertical. It may still be the highest in nba history (Zion’s is 46).My father still swears that he is the best athlete he has ever seen. Said his hand was routinely over the top of the back board when he would block shots in his prime. At 7’1 280, world class speed, freakish leaping ability, and incredible strength he's easily the best athlete in the history of sports. He gets dismissed because of the era he played in but his physical tools would translate to any era. For kicks look up the Wilt vs Lebron speed comparisons, or him lifting weights. I’ve never seen anyone like him.
That wouldn't exactly be fair either, since Harden would not be attempt 23 footers if they are only worth 2 points. He'd be attacking the basket more, likely drawing even more fouls then he draws now, and shooting a higher percentage from the field. Let's suppose we distribute his three point attempts evenly inside the 3-point line across close to the basket, mid-range, and long 2s. That would come out to 47.2% shooting on those shots. So, take away 2.35 points per game from his current scoring average, without the 3 pointer.
I agree with you about his handles. His size, speed, leaping ability and strength are unmatched by any other player in history. I don’t know how his game would translate to today’s game, but as an athlete he was the ultimate freak.
Not every center needs to shoot 3’s to be effective. Wilt would dominate today and so would Hakeem for that matter.
You assume Harden would draw more fouls in the physical 70s, 80s? without whistle, Hardens's FG% will drop significantly from current 44%. Some of the comments are ridiculous. Harden is not even the best player in current NBA, and some of the fans think he is better than the best ever, wilt chamberlain.
I guess this thread perfectly encapsulates why it's impossible to seriously compare players generations apart. I think the advanced stats can show you Harden is certainly on the level of Wilt though, even though a cursory glance at PPG shows a huge difference. These media folks just need to recognise greatness, and maybe cut with obviously dumb **** like saying MJ didn't shoot as much, or Harden isn't efficient.
Yes, he would. Jerry West drew a ton of fouls. You think he was some imposing physical specimen? And there's no good reason to suppose his FG% would drop, given that he would not be attempting over half his shots from 23 feet away from the basket.
In this case the era in which Wilt played is very relevant. Most times, Wilt was at least 6 to 8 inches taller than his counterpoint. During the super high scoring part of his career there was no 3 second rule. It was like holding up the ball over your head and having 8 year old jumping up and trying to touch the ball. Wilt was not a great shooter outside of dunks and finger rolls and was one of the worst free throw shooters in the history of the game. A modern comparison would have been Shak, but I personally believe Wilt would have offensively been a low twenties type of scorer in today's game. He would still be a rebounding force and defensive player, but no where as good offensively as Shak, much less Harden.
Basically, comparisons like this just don't work. Two different worlds. Wilt was great and Harden is great, each in their own way. End of story.
Which is why I don’t like comparing players from different eras... At 54% he’s not a pure liability because of his net worth on the floor and we saw what kind of career SON had in a relative era and he was a 50% guy. I’m not here espousing the greatness of what Wilt would do today I’m just saying he was an absolute unseen before beast of a man.
To be the mediator in all of this: Our franchise player, the one: -some on here wrote off because he was only the 6th man or 3rd best player on the Thunder team when we traded for him -some b****ed about because of YouTube videos that showed how little effort he put on the defensive end of the court -some were questioning whether or not he could lead a team -some asked if he had heart and called him a fraud is actually being compared to Wilt. ****ing. Chamberlain. A guard is being compared to one of the most dominant big men (nay, most dominant player) ever. We should all be witnesses to what Harden has become and don't take it for granted.
Harden is 1 of the most skilled players in NBA history...he would dominate any era Harden’s FG% isn’t dropping. Who out there is locking him up in the 70s and 80s?
The biggest difference for Harden would be room to operate. In the 70’s and 80’s he would have at least 2 if not 3 bigs clogging the paint. The drives to the basket where James beats his man and has room to finish would be made much more difficult. If you go pre 3 point line. There was even less space for guards to drive. It’s not about 1 guy locking him up. I think James is the most most skilled and unique players ever. He is the perfect weapon for this era. But hand checking, real fouls when he drives into the paint, and much less space due to how the game was played back then I think would impact his numbers.
Something to consider: In Wilt's famous 100-point game, his Philadelphia Warriors scored 169 points. Wilt played every minute, as he usually did, and took 63 shots. He also had 32 free-throw attempts (and actually made 28 - WTF?). Harden, meanwhile, averages 37.4 minutes per game. So far his career high FGA was 38 and his career high FTA was 27. Wilt took 25 more shots in that game than Harden ever has. Can you imagine a game in which a hot James Harden shoots 63 times AND gets 32 free throw attempts? Take Harden's Madison Square Garden masterpiece and add 25 more shots and 7 additional free throws. I'm saying he could get to 100 easily taking that many shots on a hot night. Sure, Harden kills so much clock time setting up an offense that there's no way his team could ever play at a pace to score 169 points, so we'd have to make this theoretical game an overtime game to make the comparison work. But still.
Wha? Wilt took 17 Free throw attempts a game when he averaged 50. How are you saying he wouldn't get foul calls?
I'll never forget the exchange I had with Pacers beat writer J. Michael on twitter regarding Harden's streak. He is a smart guy, but I was disappointed in his analysis.
Yeah, taking a step back and not getting "bogged down in the numbers"..... Just consider the fact we are even bringing up Wilt Chamberlin in terms of "comparisons" just the MERE FACT we are brining him up....that should speak VOLUMES!
