Honorable Mentions
DeAndre Jordan, LA Clippers
DeAndre Jordan is one of the most athletic NBA players I think I will ever see.
He can finish a dunk from (seemingly) any angle, and is an animal on the boards (13.6 RPG average this season).
Despite this, I think Jordan’s case is very similar to Whiteside’s – his stats are a bit inflated.
While I understand that team philosophy and coaching style heavily impacts any player’s production (see Howard, Dwight 2012-16), I think there is some value in examining.
Doc knows that Jordan’s offensive capabilities are limited to transitions dunks, putback dunks, shots within .5 inches of the hoop (slight exaggeration), and whatever else Chris Paul sets up for him (okay, slightly bigger exaggeration).
In all seriousness though, Jordan is very limited offensively, and there’s a reason he’s almost (always) tops in the league in FG% – he’s not asked to shoot farther than 2-3 feet from the basket.
Instead, he’s asked to get boards, and pass it to someone that can handle the ball; and try to make at least 1/2 of his inevitable million free throw attempts.
Jordan’s good, but not as good as everyone thinks.