by Matthew on Tue Nov 12, 2002 5:56 pm
Often we hear about Kobe being the next Jordan, Dirk the next Larry Bird, or Iverson being the next Isiah Thomas, and we all know how unfair these label's are. But certain player's can have similar games to ones from previous generations, and I don't see any harm in comparing two players playing styles from different generations.
James Worthy and Antwain Jamison... Most people wouldn't think these two players game's have much in common, apart from the fact that they are both Tar Heel's. But there is more than that. Both players were high draft picks (James Worthy, Number 1 in the '82 draft, Jamison was the 4th pick in '98 ).
Physically, they are nearly identical. Worthy was 6-9, 225 lbs. Jamison is 6'9 also, and 223 lbs. Worthy was probably a bit quicker, and Jamison is probably a little bit stronger.
Stats wise, these players are a bit different, but stats can be decieving. How much a team relies upon a player carry the offensive load will reflect not only on his ppg average, but also his fg %.
Playing styles there is some (but not alot) of variation. Jamison, like Worthy, has an exception mid range game. Both can dribble the ball well for their size. But the only real difference in their playing styles is Jamison likes to use his stength in the post a little bit better, and Worthy was more of a slasher. However, both could do a bit of both. Say if a bigger, slower player is gaurding Jamison to neutralise like Maurice Taylor, Antwain can simply face up on him and get to the front of the rim with no real hassles. Likewise, if Boston put Danny Ainge on Worthy to try and stop his penetration, he could simply use his strength and back him down.
Is Jamison's game identical to Worthy's? No. No two players are identical to each other. But the similarities are there, and thus the comparison.