NBA TV’s star-studded crew of “Open Court” panelists were recently asked to create their “perfect player.” Reggie Miller chose Tim Duncan’s mind and Russell Westbrook’s heart as traits of his amalgam. Kenny Smith opted for a prototype containing the heart of Kevin Garnett and athleticism of Blake Griffin. The rest of the group chose similarly, taking characteristics of at least four different players to build the perfect hooper. Isiah Thomas, though, went a different direction. The Detroit Pistons Hall-of-Famer simply picked LeBron James “as is,” but added the signature skills of two superstar point guards.
So whose skills did Isiah add to LeBron? Here’s a hint: Zeke opted to improve The King’s ballhandling and shooting ability. That should be enough to get you going in the right direction. But if you’re still lost, watch the video below.
#OpenCourt: @IamIsiahThomas on his "perfect player" http://t.co/vQNQCEqJ8Z
— NBA TV (@NBATV) October 15, 2014
James with Kyrie Irving’s handle and Steph Curry’s jumper? Yup, sounds pretty good to us. Here are some other submissions:
#OpenCourt: @TheJetOnTNT's "perfect player"
Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/ErbmCnheZG
— NBA TV (@NBATV) October 15, 2014
#OpenCourt: @realchriswebber's "perfect player" pic.twitter.com/9cqJYpfLbU
— NBA TV (@NBATV) October 15, 2014
.@ReggieMillerTNT gives his "perfect player" combo on #OpenCourt pic.twitter.com/b9J7BTzw4S
— NBA TV (@NBATV) October 15, 2014
Those are all good basketball Frankensteins, but we prefer Isiah’s creation. And as for our own “perfect player,” he’s broken down below. Keep in mind that we’re only using genres utilized by “Open Court,” and think it’s cheating to separate god-given attributes – body and athleticism are mutually exclusive for us.
Body/Athleticism: James
Heart: Garnett
Mind: Chris Paul
Work Ethic: Kobe Bryant
Shooting: Curry
Ballhandling: James Harden
What does your perfect player look like?
Follow Jack on Twitter at @ArmstrongWinter.
Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.