Who Is The Greatest PF Of All Time?
Today I will be naming the greatest player to play the power forward position.
We are continuing the series where I name the best player at each position, and today I will be deciding the best player from the power forward postion.
Here are the candidates:
Tim Duncan
Charles Barkley
Kevin Garnett
Karl Malone
Dirk Nowitzki
And, the player I am deciding as the best PF is… Tim Duncan. Now let me tell you why Tim Duncan is the best PF of all time.
Play-Style
Duncan was an inside force. Most of his offense was generated inside the paint, where he had every single move in the book to score. Duncan also occasionally shot mid-range shots. His jump shots and free throws always had no arc, but they usually went in. Duncan was the king of the bank shot, and he rarely missed if one of his shots was coming off of the backboard.
On defense, Duncan was a defensive machine, being strong down low against guys like Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard. Duncan was also a great shot blocker. He was one of the best shot blockers of this era, and he was great at making shots down low tough on his opponents.
Other than having no 3-point shot, Duncan was solid at all of the other aspects of the game. He was one of the most complete players to play his position.
Statistics
Over his career, Duncan compiled one of the greatest statistical careers in NBA history.
During his 19 year career, Duncan compiled averages of 19.0 points and 10.8 rebounds. He shot 50.6% from the field and averaged 2.2 blocks over his career.
Here are some incredible facts about Tim Duncan’s stats:
Duncan scored over 13 points per game for 18 seasons
Duncan averaged over 2 blocks in 12 seasons
Duncan averaged over 10 rebounds for 13 seasons
He shot over 48% from the field every single season and shot over 50% for 10 seasons
Duncan was one of the most consistent players the NBA has ever seen. He was a double-double machine, as well as a defensive presence.
Accolades/Winning
Throughout the last two decades, Duncan was racked up an impressive resume in terms of his trophy cabinet.
Duncan is a 5x NBA Champion and 3x Finals MVP
Duncan is a 2x Regular Season MVP
Duncan is a 15x All Star and 1x All Star Game MVP
Duncan was selected to the All-NBA 1st Team 10 times
Duncan was selected to the All-Defensive 1st Team 8 times
Duncan was the Rookie Of The Year in 1998 and his #21 is retired by the Spurs.
In terms of wins, not many can get better than Duncan. Over his career, Duncan had a regular season season win/loss of 1072-438. This gives him a regular season win percentage of 0.709 or 71%. In the playoffs, Duncan has amassed a record of 158-98, which is a win percentage of 0.617, or 62%.
Overall, Duncan was a great inside scorer on offense and defensively he was a great shot blocker. Duncan was one of the decorated athletes since the turn of the century, and his level of consistency will not be matched for a long time.
But, what do you think? Who is the greatest power forward to ever play in the NBA? If it is not Duncan, than who is it? Leave all of your comments down below.
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