Anthony Davis Discussion: Only Player On Both All NBA + All Def

I'm not sure if he's better than Duncan, but given his fit with Lebron and the way the game is played today, I would take AD over any other PF that has ever played.

 

He has to quit falling down so much. Quit being so soft. Then maybe someday he’ll be a top 20 PF

 

Tim Duncan is the 2nd greatest team player in NBA history. Arguably the best PF of all time.. The most fundamentally sound big ever.

With that, AD is more talented and skilled than TD and there is a wide range in a lot of areas. Once AD starts creepin to 3 or 4 titles, noise will start that he will have a chance at supplanting TD as the greatest PF ever.

AD will end up with at least one MVP and likely a few DOPY awards. Finals MVPs for sure.

 

AD might have to win 5 rings to even be in the conversation.

Duncan has his fair share of choke jobs too but lot of sports writers conveniently forget. Blew 3-2 leads twice and as a No. 1 seed lost to the No.8 seed too.

 

He also played without another top-10 player at that time for most of his career. Much like Kobe did for the last 2 titles (don't think Pau was there). Much like LeBron did for his Cavs title (Wade was top-10 during his Miami stint and AD is one for the last championship).

So, TD has some claim to fame in that regard.

 

td's a weird case because he got to play his first few years with another superstar, which really helped his winning percentage/title count.

i'd also invoke the "can't compare eras" clause here, as while tim duncan would still be awesome right now, tim duncan/david robinson would not win a title now. neither could play pf the way the game is now, on offense or defense. and AD wouldn't have played center effectively 20 years ago.

it's also a weird time for this to become a debate, as AD is 26 and has, in theory, a bunch of years left.

that said, it's unlikely he gets 5 rings as a team's top player, so td will always have that to point to.

but before the td stans celebrate, i'll say that calling him a pf is kind of a cheap way to give him GOAT credit. he was a center. and kareem was better.

 

He's in the right place to chase the mantle. But it's a damn near impossible to catch. He'll likely get 1 more ring with Bron. But then has to get 2-3 after Bron (depending on personal accolades) to overtake him. I think the media will begin the convo at 3 rings with it being a possibility. But probably two more after that gets him there.

 

yeah, AD is already firmly in kg/dirk/barkley territory, with a lot of time to go. nothing to sneeze at.

 

AD will probably be in the "can't win without LeBron" category after LeBron retires and he won't get the respect he deserves until after LeBron retires and he wins it without LeBron as the unquestionable best player on his team.

I think AD can certainly get there though...he's 27, and still getting better, which is a scary thought.

 

As far as him being better than TD?

He's not, but let's not forget that TD wasn't the best player on all 5 of those titles he got. He was the best on 3 of the 5...so I think the debate starts there. AD needs to be the best player on a title winning team at least 3x before the comparisons can start. I def think AD is more skilled than TD though.

 

"skilled" is a tough term...more versatile, for sure, on both ends. but td was so good positioning his body and finishing/ending plays on offense/defense. so few mistakes. such surgical precision. super competitive and calm under pressure.

but he couldn't check a guard in space or shoot threes.

 

We got the horses. We just gotta stay healthy!!!

 

I know Duncan WAS the system in SAS 20 years run but when he wasn't SAS best player for the last 10 seasons ...

No back 2 back , SIX playoffs series loses with HCA ( 3 up 2-0 , 1 against the 8th seed) , the debacle in 04 Olympics .

Duncan clearly better than Kobe though ... LMAO

 

Very few people say that out loud. You would be delusional if you did.

 

Best player on the floor yesterday...

 

That Duncan is better than Kobe ? 90% of non Lakers fans/"experts" have Duncan over Kobe in their all time list

 

Kobe's teams are 4-2 head to head vs Duncan's teams in the playoffs. Duncan's teams have been consistently great in regular season and he also has a number of playoff series he's choked away to his name as well.

 

90% think Duncan is a better basketball player than Kobe? Where?