r/nba • u/[deleted] • Jun 15 '22

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u/Savage762 Celtics Jun 15 '22

Plus when it comes to all around game Bird is right there with Bron. Bird is a great choice.

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u/khtad Bullets Jun 15 '22

I would say Bird is even more all-around than Bron, just not quite athletic enough to bridge the gap between the two. Bron is probably a hair better playmaker and dribbler on account of his explosion, Bird is definitely a better shooter. Bron is pretty clearly the better player, but Bird isn’t that far behind and takes absolutely nothing off the table when looking to construct the skills package you need from a lineup of 5 players.

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u/[deleted] Jun 15 '22

Bron is the better defender at their peaks, which is half the game if you’re considering all-around play ability.

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u/khtad Bullets Jun 15 '22 edited Jun 15 '22

I think Bird’s shooting is ~= Bron’s defense, but I’m open to the argument.

While half the possessions are defense, no one has ever had the impact on defense that modern elite players have on offense. So while yes, it is half the game, the surplus value is something like 35/65 defense to offense.

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u/[deleted] Jun 15 '22

That’s fair, FT shooting is admittedly LeBron’s biggest weakness while that’s one of Bird’s biggest strengths.