Bob Pettit
Years Played: 1954 to 1965
Position: Power Forward
Career Averages: 38.8 MPG, 26.4 PPG, 16.2 RPG, 3.0 APG
Career Statistics: 20,880 points, 12,849 rebounds, 2,369 assists
Accolades: NBA Champion, 2x NBA MVP, 10x All-NBA First Team, All-NBA Second Team, 11x All-Star, 2x Scoring Champion, 1955 Rookie of the Year
Bob Pettit was Dirk Nowitzki before Dirk Nowitzki. He followed in Dolph Schayes’ footsteps as a sharpshooting big man during a period of time, the 1950s and 1960s, that didn’t have many great players cut from that cloth.
What separates Pettit from Nowitzki, however, was his physicality, tenacity on the boards, and defensive versatility.
Pettit scored more than 20,000 points and pulled down upwards of 12,000 rebounds during an era with limited offensive ingenuity and efficiency. He was routinely matched up against the best player on the opposing team and feasted by excelling in all offensive phases.
The fact that Pettit was an absolute workhorse made him an even more overwhelming force as he out-hustled the stars and non-stars around him.
Pettit’s biggest claim to fame is leading the St. Louis Hawks to the 1958 NBA championship. Pettit and the Hawks became the only team to defeat Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.
Kristaps Porzingis plays with similar vigor and versatility. Porzingis has an obvious height advantage over the 6’9″ Pettit, which makes this comparison all the more intriguing.