Hakeem Olajuwon scoring skills updated version - Message Board Basketball Forum

NugzHeat3 · 03-05-2013, 03:33 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22O2lApCBBs

Covers his whole arsenal beginning with the baseline spin, fallaways, jumphooks, counters, head and shoulder fakes, ball fakes, crossover dribbles, isolations on the perimeter, the elite footwork, some off-hand plays ect.

- Baseline spin at the 0:18 sec mark is deadly
- Those isolations against Cartwright, Kleine and Parish, Ewing, Donaldson throughout the video. Pretty crazy for a C to do that stuff creating so artistically and gracefully from the perimeter.
- 2:35, beautiful up and under move against A.C Green. That's one of those counters he could use knowing the defender would think he's going for the jumphook.
- The sequence from 3:52-5:10 is pretty crazy, all from one series. It makes me wish he was played one on one more often around that time period so he had a chance to display those skills more so, that combination of fakes and creativity is unreal. Its just so instinctive and based on reacting to the defense as opposed to making up his mind beforehand in terms of what move he's going to do. Steve Smith said the same thing regarding his moves and footwork that he tried emulating it but couldn't do it because it was completely based off a feel of the defender.
- 9:38 was a heatcheck, no doubt about it.
- Sick series of head fakes against Mason on 9:48
- I like the finishing touch to the video, the only shot he hadn't tried yet, a blind backhand (although Fatal should've included one of the 3s he hit to drive the point home)

His post game is so complete and Chris Webber had mentioned this on open court that he had to "be really good basically first to add everything up." The play I mentioned vs A.C is a good example. If he doesn't have that jump hook on lock, that up and under wouldn't have worked. You couldn't really overplay him either way because he was great going baseline and towards the middle.

It also doesn't surprise me Hakeem used to emulate guards like Jordan and Penny (both excellent post-up players) at all when I see him pull stuff like this.

NugzHeat3 · 03-05-2013, 03:42 AM

Going to add a couple of gifs that I made.

This is on John Williams from a 1993 Rockets vs Clippers game.

mrpibb · 03-05-2013, 03:44 AM

He'd only shoot 6% against Lebron.

lul

NugzHeat3 · 03-05-2013, 03:53 AM

Quality is really mediocre on these but....

^Jukes two guys, dirty.

I wonder why Fatal9 didn't include much of the post-1995 years. Its not like his skills had diminished although a lot of his moves and the way he creates space has to do with the quickness as well so he couldn't shake free as easily as he could in the past but plays like the two above, they weren't a complete anomaly or anything like that especially from the 1996 and 1997 seasons because he was still fairly athletic in those years.

If its because of the uniforms, then that's understandable because that would definitely bring the video down a couple of notches.

SourPatchKids · 05-10-2013, 02:00 AM

Today I was drop-step dunked on twice in a row by an alumnus of my high school who stopped by to play in our open gyms. First one was fake middle go baseline second one was vice versa.

I now understand the lethalness of the hip fake

Round Mound · 05-10-2013, 08:34 PM

Hakeem TODAY...Would be the Best Player in the Game With Ease!

jzek · 05-10-2013, 08:41 PM

How can anyone say there's a better low post player? All KAJ ever did was shoot sky hooks. All Shaq ever did was overpower defenders for a dunk or baby hook. Hakeem had a 1,001 post moves!

Odinn · 05-10-2013, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jzek

How can anyone say there's a better low post player? All KAJ ever did was shoot sky hooks. All Shaq ever did was overpower defenders for a dunk or baby hook. Hakeem had a 1,001 post moves!

Just stfu.

jlip · 05-10-2013, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jzek

How can anyone say there's a better low post player? All KAJ ever did was shoot sky hooks. All Shaq ever did was overpower defenders for a dunk or baby hook. Hakeem had a 1,001 post moves!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayAz8EpuNUM

LAZERUSS · 05-10-2013, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayAz8EpuNUM

All Kareem did was shoot the skyhook, and all Chamberlain did was dunk on small white players...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCWrGWuU2Ak

ShaqAttack3234 · 05-10-2013, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jzek

How can anyone say there's a better low post player? All KAJ ever did was shoot sky hooks. All Shaq ever did was overpower defenders for a dunk or baby hook. Hakeem had a 1,001 post moves!

Depends on what you mean by better. If you mean more skilled, then yeah, Hakeem was more skilled than either, but Shaq and Kareem were more dominant and effective in the low post. Hakeem had a much better face up game than either, though.

Clifton · 05-11-2013, 02:25 AM

Whenever I watch footage of Hakeem on offense, I feel a bit dirty, but the thought I always have is:

BIG DEAL.

What I mean is it's not as though Hakeem is that great. What I see him doing in these clips is something ANYONE could do if they just learned a little footwork and consistently, methodically, applied what they were learning. There would be a learning curve but it would start to take eventually. I learned all that footwork and moves in 8th grade basketball camp. They're not hard. Anyone who's 7 feet tall with decent coordinations and hands could be doing that in the post. Why does nobody do it?

Well, one reason is that teams aren't ordered and patient enough to establish any kind of post game on offense.

But really... it's such easy money. If you've got the body, I don't see how that type of ball can fail. Players make it too hard on themselves. Why did GARNETT never learn to do anything in the post?? All he ever did was turnaround jumpers.

Hakeem's an all-time great, and Duncan too, simply because they let the game be easy for them, which it should be.