Let me analyze what I have. This is a Reddit discussion thread from r/nba asking a hypothetical question: if every franchise could bring back one player in his prime, which team improves the most? The thread had 44 comments but I could only see minimal content from the old.reddit.com fetch.
I have the 2024-25 NBA standings from Basketball Reference, which gives me the current state of each team. Let me think about this analytically.
The question is essentially: which team has the biggest gap between their current roster and the best player in franchise history at his peak? This is an analytics-friendly question that fits my persona well.
Let me think through the candidates:
1. Washington Wizards (18-64, SRS -12.14) — Worst team in the league. Their franchise legend would be… Wes Unseld? Elvin Hayes? Gilbert Arenas? None of those are top-20 all-time players. So even the best version of their best player might not move them that much.
2. Charlotte Hornets (19-63, SRS -9.10) — Kemba Walker? Larry Johnson? Alonzo Mourning? Similar issue.
3. Utah Jazz (17-65, SRS -8.51) — Karl Malone or John Stockton in their prime would be a massive upgrade. Malone at his peak was a 27-10 MVP-level player. Adding prime Malone to a 17-win team… that’s a huge improvement.
4. New Orleans Pelicans (21-61, SRS -8.59) — Anthony Davis in his prime (2017-18: 28.1 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 2.6 BPG, MVP-3, DPOY-3) or Chris Paul. Davis’s New Orleans peak was elite. Adding prime AD to a 21-win team would be enormous.
5. Philadelphia 76ers (24-58, SRS -6.29) — Allen Iverson? Wilt Chamberlain? Julius Erving? Moses Malone? Adding prime Wilt or Dr. J to a 24-win team would be transformative.
6. Brooklyn Nets (26-56, SRS -6.95) — Jason Kidd? Not a huge individual upgrade.
7. San Antonio Spurs (34-48, SRS -2.45) — Tim Duncan in his prime would be massive, but they’re not terrible. They have Wembanyama. Adding prime Duncan next to Wemby would be incredible but the baseline is already decent.
8. Oklahoma City Thunder (68-14, SRS 12.70) — Best team. Adding prime Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook would make them even better, but the marginal improvement is small because they’re already elite.
The key insight from the question is “biggest improvement, not best player.” So we need to find the team where:
– Current roster is weak (low baseline)
– Franchise has an all-time great player whose prime would be a massive upgrade
The best candidates seem to be:
– New Orleans Pelicans: Prime Anthony Davis (28/11/2.6 blocks, MVP-3, DPOY-3 in 2017-18) on a 21-win team. That’s a massive gap.
– Utah Jazz: Prime Karl Malone (MVP, ~27-10) on a 17-win team.
– Philadelphia 76ers: Prime Wilt Chamberlain or Dr. J on a 24-win team.
– Washington Wizards: Even with their worst record, their best historical player isn’t elite enough to make the biggest jump.
Actually, let me think about this more carefully. The question is about the biggest improvement, which means the delta between current production at that position and what the legend would provide.
For the Pelicans: They have Zion Williamson, but prime AD at center would be transformative. A 21-win team adding a top-5 player in the league (prime AD was arguably top-5) could jump to maybe 45-50 wins. That’s a ~25-win improvement.
For the Jazz: A 17-win team adding prime Karl Malone… Malone was incredible but he’s not a one-man turnaround like AD or a dominant center. Maybe +20 wins?
For the 76ers: Prime Wilt Chamberlain (50 PPG, 25 RPG season) on a 24-win team. That’s potentially the biggest single-player impact in NBA history. But Wilt’s era was so different that it’s hard to project. Dr. J in his NBA prime (1980-83) was also transformative.
Actually, I think the most analytically interesting answer might be the Pelicans with prime AD, or the 76ers with prime Wilt/Dr. J, or even the Spurs with prime Duncan next to Wembanyama.
But wait — the Spurs are 34-48. Adding prime Duncan (who was a 22-12-3-2.5 on elite defense in his early years) next to Wembanyama would be incredible. That could turn a 34-win team into a 55+ win team. That’s a ~20-win jump.
Let me think about what the Reddit thread likely discussed. With 44 comments, it probably had various team fans arguing for their franchise. The most common answers in these types of discussions tend to be:
– Pelicans with AD or CP3
– Wizards with… not enough star power
– Hornets with… not enough
– Jazz with Malone/Stockton
– Spurs with Duncan (especially next to Wemby)
I think the most compelling analytical answer is the New Orleans Pelicans with prime Anthony Davis. Here’s why:
– 21-61 record, SRS of -8.59 (third-worst in the league)
– Prime AD (2017-18): 28.1 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.5 STL, 2.6 BLK, .534 FG%, MVP-3, DPOY-3, All-NBA First Team, All-Defensive First Team
– That’s a two-way superstar added to the worst non-Jazz/Wizards roster
– The gap between current Pelicans frontcourt production and prime AD is enormous
But actually, let me reconsider. The Utah Jazz at 17-65 have the worst record in the league (tied-ish with Washington). Adding prime Karl Malone (two-time MVP, 14-time All-Star, 36,928 career points) would be a massive upgrade. But Malone was more of a system player in Sloan’s offense.
And the Washington Wizards at 18-64… their best player ever is probably Wes Unseld (who won MVP as a rookie) or Elvin Hayes. Neither is a top-15 all-time player. So even though they’re terrible, the upgrade isn’t as large.
I think the strongest analytical case is:
1. New Orleans Pelicans — Prime AD on a 21-win team
2. Philadelphia 76ers — Prime Wilt or Dr. J on a 24-win team
3. San Antonio Spurs — Prime Duncan next to Wemby on a 34-win team
Let me also consider: the question says “not the best player, just the biggest improvement.” This means we should focus on the delta, not the absolute quality. A team that’s already good (like OKC) adding Durant would improve less than a bad team adding a slightly lesser legend.
I’ll write this as an analytical piece using the persona. I have the standings data and AD’s stats. Let me also think about what other data I can use.
For the piece, I’ll frame it as: the Reddit question is actually an interesting analytics problem, and the data points to a few clear answers. I’ll use the SRS (Simple Rating System) from Basketball Reference as a baseline, and think about win probability added by various franchise legends.
Let me draft the article now. I need to be careful about:
– Not quoting Reddit commenters
– Attributing the question to the Reddit discussion
– Using real data from Basketball Reference
– Maintaining the analytics persona without overdoing it
– 400-700 words
Let me also think about which section this belongs in. It’s an NBA discussion, so “NBA” is the category.
Now let me write the piece. I’ll focus on the analytical framework and the strongest candidates, using the data I have.
Actually, I should note that I couldn’t get the full Reddit thread content — I only saw that it had 44 comments and one comment from “Pacersbabysamissimasybab” which was hidden. So I can’t attribute specific arguments to the thread. I’ll treat this as: a question posed on r/nba, and I’ll answer it analytically using available data.
Let me write the article now.
Key data points I have:
– 2024-25 NBA standings with SRS
– Anthony Davis’s career stats (especially his New Orleans prime: 2017-18 at 28.1/11.1/2.6 BLK, MVP-3, DPOY-3)
– The Reddit thread existed with 44 comments
Let me think about the best candidates more carefully:
Worst teams by SRS:
1. Washington Wizards: -12.14 (18-64)
2. Utah Jazz: -8.51 (17-65)
3. Charlotte Hornets: -9.10 (19-63)
4. New Orleans Pelicans: -8.59 (21-61)
5. Brooklyn Nets: -6.95 (26-56)
6. Philadelphia 76ers: -6.29 (24-58)
Franchise legends by team:
– Wizards: Wes Unseld (MVP, but averaged 14/10/4), Elvin Hayes (27/16 at peak), Gilbert Arenas (29/6 at peak)
– Jazz: Karl Malone (MVP, 31/11 at peak), John Stockton (14/14 at peak), Adrian Dantley (30/6)
– Hornets: Kemba Walker (25/6), Larry Johnson (22/7), Alonzo Mourning (24/10/3.5 BLK)
– Pelicans: Anthony Davis (28/11/2.6 BLK, MVP-3, DPOY-3), Chris Paul (22/12/3 STL at NOLA peak)
– Nets: Jason Kidd (18/10/7), Kevin Durant (briefly), Julius Erving (ABA)
– 76ers: Wilt Chamberlain (50/25 season), Julius Erving (24/8/5 in NBA), Allen Iverson (33/7/4 MVP), Moses Malone (MVP)
The 76ers are fascinating. Prime Wilt Chamberlain on a 24-win team is potentially the biggest single-player upgrade imaginable. Wilt averaged 50.4 PPG and 25.7 RPG in 1961-62. Even adjusting for era, that’s an absurd level of production. But the era adjustment makes this complicated.
Prime Allen Iverson (2000-01 MVP, 31 PPG, carrying a team to the Finals) on the current 24-win 76ers would also be a massive upgrade, especially given their current guard situation.
Actually, I think the most interesting analytical answer is the New Orleans Pelicans with prime Anthony Davis. Here’s why:
1. The Pelicans are terrible (21-61, SRS -8.59)
2. Prime AD was a legitimate top-5 player in the league (MVP-3, DPOY-3 in 2017-18)
3. He’s a two-way force — elite scoring, rebounding, and rim protection
4. The positional fit is perfect — they need a dominant big
5. His New Orleans peak numbers: 28.1 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 2.6 BLK, 1.5 STL, .534 FG%
But I should also consider the Spurs with Duncan. The Spurs are 34-48, which is bad but not terrible. Adding prime Duncan (2002-03: 23.3 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 3.9 APG, 2.9 BLK, MVP) next to Wembanyama would create the most dominant frontcourt in the league. The improvement from 34 wins to potentially 55+ is about 20+ wins.
Hmm, but the question asks for the biggest improvement. Let me think about win shares:
Prime AD (2017-18): ~14 win shares
Current Pelicans best player: probably Zion or Brandon Ingram, maybe ~5-7 win shares
Delta: ~7-9 win shares → roughly 20-25 additional wins
Prime Duncan (2002-03): ~18 win shares (that was an incredible season)
Current Spurs best player: Wembanyama, maybe ~10-12 win shares
But Duncan would be added to Wemby, not replacing him. So the delta is the full ~18 win shares minus whatever current Spurs PF/C production they’d lose. Maybe +15 wins?
Actually, the question says “bring back one player” — so you’re adding that player to the current roster, not replacing anyone. So it’s purely additive.
In that case:
– Pelicans adding prime AD: +14 win shares → from 21 wins to ~35 wins
– Spurs adding prime Duncan: +18 win shares → from 34 wins to ~52 wins
– 76ers adding prime Wilt: hard to calculate, but Wilt’s 1961-62 season was worth maybe 20+ win shares in modern terms? → from 24 wins to ~44+ wins
– Jazz adding prime Malone: Malone’s best season was ~15 win shares → from 17 wins to ~32 wins
Hmm, but win shares don’t translate 1:1 to wins because of diminishing returns and the fact that you’re adding to existing production.
I think the most compelling answer, analytically, is either:
1. Spurs with prime Duncan — because you’re adding an MVP-level talent to a solid foundation.
