« Reply #30 on: July 18, 2023, 05:51:51 PM »
How do we factor injury history into this? For example, there’s a few guys I won’t name that have had monster seasons early on and then got decimated by injuries that cut their career short.
I’ll use an ineligible NBA 75 guy to illustrate the point. Bill Walton had a dominant championship winning season in Portland in 77, followed it up with an MVP season, and then played 14 games the next 4 years.
If he were eligible, and 1977 Bill Walton was selected, would we be viewing him under the lens of ‘we know he’s going to miss the next 4 years’ or just that he’s generally injury prone, or would we really be taking that individual season and his overall ability into account?
For injuries, my view has always been you're taking the player as he actually was health-wise in that season. So, if you select Bill Walton's MVP season, you get peak Bill Walton, but only for 58 regular season games and an injury-plagued playoffs (played 2 out of 6 games).
That's not the only valid way of looking at it, though.
This is how I look at injuries too, but there is some diversity of opinion there. Which is fine - I think as long as the discussion is had between those with differing opinions (respectfully!), then it's all good


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'23 Historical Draft: Orlando Magic.
PG: Terry Porter (90-91) / Steve Francis (00-01)
SG: Joe Dumars (92-93) / Jeff Hornacek (91-92) / Jerry Stackhouse (00-01)
SF: Brandon Roy (08-09) / Walter Davis (78-79)
PF: Terry Cummings (84-85) / Paul Millsap (15-16)
C: Chris Webber (00-01) / Ralph Sampson (83-84) / Andrew Bogut (09-10)