uberhikari wrote:flaco wrote:Absolutely love the Nash-Russell duo! I think they have god-level synergy! Russ is widely considered the best defensive Center (/player) of all time. Nash is a truly elite offensive PG (imo, top 4 all time at the very least). Both of them excel at playing at breakneck pace. They'd be unstoppable in the modern era! Curious to see how LABird builds around them.
Dr P is about to create a 2-headed monster as well. I think these 2 teams will stand out after the end of round 2.
I don't see the god-level synergy between Nash and Russell. When Russell got the ball on the fastbreak it wasn't to score but to set up his teammates. Russell never attacked the paint like LeBron or Barkley on the fastbreak. I also don't really see the synergy between Nash & Russell in the halfcourt. People speculate that Russell could've been an elite P&R partner by using his athleticism to dive to the hoop but it's just speculation. It may or may not be true; we don't know. There are a lot of athletic bigs who never became elite P&R divers.
The main potential problem I see with the Nash & Russell pairing is that neither were elite volume scorers. A lot of scoring potential is being sacrificed by going for that kind of pairing in such a limited talent pool.
The way I see it, Russ is a rich man's KG:
- GOAT defender
- freakish length
- uber explosive
- ultimate winner
- ultimate team player
- above average ball handler at his position
- above average passer
- elite rebounder
- he even had KG's mid-range shot. KG had deeper range, but that's likely due to the era he was playing in.
Unfortunately, PnR wasn't a big thing in the 50s/60s. That said, Russ had a) the athleticism and strength to be a dynamic finisher above the rim, b) the explosiveness to blow by slow-footed bigs, c) the size to overpower guards/wings after switches. Don't see why he wouldn't be an effective roll man. Obviously, it's just my opinion though. Like you said, we can't possibly know for sure. It's up to each voter to envision the role of old school players in the modern game.
Regarding Nash, it's not his fault that the Suns were reluctant to fully embrace the 3 in the 00s. Both him and D'Antoni are on record as saying they regret not taking more 3s. Chances are he would have been shooting north of 10 threes per game in today's game, hence he would have been considered a volume scorer. Fwiw, his advanced stats would have probably gone through the roof as well. If you ask me, I'd even go as far as saying Nash is a better offensive player than Steph. Both are elite shooters and ball handlers. Difference is, Nash is also an elite facilitator. Steph is a better defender but he isn't a game changer on D, whereas Nash is definitely a game changer with his passing. Again, each voter is free to judge these things differently.
