Ayton

I much prefer a successful dunk to two free throws or ball on the side.

 

Thompson was a solid NBA player for a decade who started from the beginning, averaged close to a double-double for years, shot a decent percentage, had a good mid-range touch for a big and got grief for being too laid-back. Like Ayton, he is Bahamanian.

Olowokandi is nowhere near either Thompson or Ayton in terms of skill, style, or performance. He shot 43.5% for his career and averaged fewer than 7 rebounds per game,

 

That's ... an interesting perspective.

 

He was much closer to Ayton in physical stature and athleticism, and, like Ayton, that got him picked #1. I think that caps nationality. He also never really loved basketball and was looking to monetize his natural assets.

Fortunately Ayton is better than the Kandi Man. But both of them could have been David Robinson level if they had the right stuff between the ears.

 

Yah ... no.

 

I'm just going to summarize the stuff I've read in the past few days. Ayton's been compared to Hassan Whiteside, Joel Przybilla and Michael Olowokandi because he's not, according to actual posts, Shaq, Embiid, Joker or David Robinson.

If the guy is going to be continually criticized for not being among the top 75 players of all-time, then maybe Trail Blazer fans deserve to not have him and to play a whole season with Duop Reath as the starter.

 

All three were picked No. 1 overall. Thompson was 6-10, 230 in 1980 which would be analogous to 7-0, 250 today, but Ayton's style and Thompson's style and the way fans talked about their games is almost identical. Olowokandi was a physical specimen but never considered as skilled as Thompson and Ayton, who played and excelled at big-time college programs, too.

But, hey, if you want to show me you didn't read anything I posted beyond them both being from the Bahamas without saying it, congrats, you did it.

 

Lol. Forgive my english What I was trying to say is, volleyball would be probably better for him.

 

He seems so genuinely happy on every video there is online. I really want him to have fun and be as good as he can be. Dude seems like a nice guy.

 

Yes, 20/10 on 6-10 shooting and chasing the ball all over the court every night ... clearly hoops isn't for him.

 

Never had 20 ppg in his career.
And this year it is 13.6... every night.

 

You're being pedantic and trying too hard. He's averaged at least 17 ppg three times in his career, averaged double figures in rebounds and is a better than 59% shooter. Those numbers are great regardless of how you try to qualify them.

And this year? Small sample size with a new team, new coach and a half-dozen rookies on a squad not trying to win much. As others have pointed out in the last day, his last five games are very much at or better than his career averages and the Blazers have won three of those.

You can not like the player's game without becoming hyperbolic in trying to devalue it.

 

I don't like that he plays like tall SG and avoids contact.
And 20/10 were numbers from your post and those numbers are very "small sample size". I don't think (at least) 17ppg is some great achivment for max player, let alone in 2023.

 

Exactly why I used them in response to you. You're criticizing him based on a small sample size yet you have a problem with someone supporting him based on a smaller sample size that's much more in line with his career averages.

Also, I'd love to see a shooting guard that averages 10 rebounds and any player that does that while avoiding contact. I'd take a shooting guard that did that and was shooting 60% whether they were "physical" or not.

 

Not really. He is same soft, avoiding contact kind of guy whole his career. He never played up to expectations. That is why Suns were happy to give him up. Whole career is not small sample size.
Four games are small sample size and 20ppg in 2023 is nothing to be wow about.

 

I called him soft.

I was wrong.

He is playing within our game.

 

So just to be clear, avoiding contact on offense ...makes you soft? Kareem avoided contact on offense by shooting his sky hook for 20 seasons. Was he soft? It seems to me that skilled centers avoid contact....because they can.

 

I am not internet fighter anymore, so let's just agree, that you won't compare him to Kareem and I won't compare him to Meyers Leonard.

 

What you got against Meyers bro?

 

Ok

But was I really comparing him to Kareem? or was I just giving you an example of why your "soft" theory has so many holes?
Ayton has offensive skills, he does not need to seek out contact.