Who was the more underrated player; Nate Thurmond or Artis Gilmore?

[jongib369]

Artis Gilmore isn't in the HoF...wtf?

He was inducted in 2011, but it's insane it took that long.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1xqwh7PE4I

Starting a team I really don't know who I'd go with...But I think Gilmore was more underrated to answer the OP

[Height Freak]

Nate is Perhaps slightly more underrated.

[Legends66NBA7]

Artis Gilmore no doubt.

Who is the better Bull at their best, Gilmore or Noah ?

[La Frescobaldi]

Nate is Perhaps slightly more underrated.

2 all time greats tho lot of slamming and jamming back then!!

A-Train and Dan Issel was some of the best ball I ever saw wish there was more footage around

[jongib369]

2 all time greats tho lot of slamming and jamming back then!!

A-Train and Dan Issel was some of the best ball I ever saw wish there was more footage around

If you were drafting one of them would you have a hard time choosing between the two?

[bizil]

2 all time greats tho lot of slamming and jamming back then!!

A-Train and Dan Issel was some of the best ball I ever saw wish there was more footage around

I think Gilmore and Issel may have been one of the top 10-15 PF-C combos in all of pro basketball history. I can only imagine the havoc they wreaked together in the ABA. I wasn't even born at the time, but their games I'm sure complemented each other great. And on the subject of underrated, Issel is pretty underrated himself.

[CavaliersFTW]

Both are more 'forgotten' than they are underrated. I've probably seen as much footage of both as anyone can.

Gilmore will give you better offense, Thurmond will give you better defense, they'll both snag rebounds at about the same clip. I believe Thurmond had trouble staying healthy the 2nd half of his career. Both were physical freaks, Thurmond on the part of length and Gilmore on the part of strength and early in his career all around leaping ability and agility.

[bizil]

Both are more 'forgotten' than they are underrated. I've probably seen as much footage of both as anyone can.

Gilmore will give you better offense, Thurmond will give you better defense, they'll both snag rebounds at about the same clip. I believe Thurmond had trouble staying healthy the 2nd half of his career. Both were physical freaks, Thurmond on the part of length and Gilmore on the part of strength and early in his career all around leaping ability and agility.

Great points! But in a sense being forgotten is bound to make u underrated. Because if u are forgotten, u name isn't being mentioned as much as it should.

[LAZERUSS]

Thurmond may very well be the greatest one-on-one defending center of all-time. No one gave Wilt, or a peak Kareem more trouble.

Gilmore was a beast in his ABA years, but his rebounding and defense started decline by the time he hit the NBA. He was still a good rebounder in his NBA days, but was never as dominant as a young Artis had been in the ABA. Still, he had some truly remarkable scoring/efficiency combination seasons. Several 18-19 ppg seasons on about .650 shooting.

Overall, the two would be ranked very close. Both solidly in the Top-50.

[La Frescobaldi]

If you were drafting one of them would you have a hard time choosing between the two?

Do you mean between Thurmond and Gilmore? I maybe would be taking Nate. Problem is he was constantly injured. Gilmore was awesome, and he did great in the NBA, but he was dominating a weaker ABA league (regardless of drj4ever, that is a fact) so it's kinda hard to say what that was really. Early Gilmore could jump right out the house and he was real fast, he could keep up with the guards.

I dunno man, they were both great great players.

Dan Issel is still 9th on the all-time scoring list so that kinda tells you he was a torrential downpour of points.... although again, in the weak-sister league.

[jongib369]

Thurmond may very well be the greatest one-on-one defending center of all-time. No one gave Wilt, or a peak Kareem more trouble.

Gilmore was a beast in his ABA years, but his rebounding and defense started decline by the time he hit the NBA. He was still a good rebounder in his NBA days, but was never as dominant as a young Artis had been in the ABA. Still, he had some truly remarkable scoring/efficiency combination seasons. Several 18-19 ppg seasons on about .650 shooting.

Overall, the two would be ranked very close. Both solidly in the Top-50.

Do you happen to know what Wilts career FG% was against Thurmond? Or how they fared rebounding against each other

[LAZERUSS]

Do you happen to know what Wilts career FG% was against Thurmond? Or how they fared rebounding against each other

Off the top of my head...I believe Wilt held a known .540 to .360 FG% margin over Nate. It was just an incredible differential.

Not sure on the their rebounding totals, but Thurmond only outrebounded Wilt a couple of times in their regular season series H2H's, and in their three post-season H2H series, covering 17 games, Chamberlain just crushed Thurmond by about 5 rpg overall.

BTW, in Wilt's 66-67 season regular season, and against a PEAK Thurmond (in Nate's greatest season), in their regular season H2H's, Chamberlain outscored Thurmond, 20.8 ppg to 13.0 ppg, outrebounded Nate, 25.0 rpg to 23.8 rpg, and outshot him by...get this... a .633 to .320 margin. Then, in their six game Finals, Wilt outscored Nate in five of the six games; outrebounded Nate in five of the six games; outassisted Nate in five of the six games; and outshot him from the field in all six. Overall, a 17.5 to 14.3 ppg, margin; a 28.5 rpg to 26.7 rpg margin; and a .560 to .343 FG% margin.