By Matthew Lippe
James Harden is currently on pace to average almost 40 pts per game this NBA season. Standing at 6’5, Harden combines his skill to get to the free throw line and ability to create space to be able to reach 40 points. This truly is an impressive feat and one that should not be understated (even if he is shooting 40 shots to get to 40 pts, that’s an argument for another day). So now I’m gonna take us back to over 40 years ago, where a 6’5 197lb guard from LSU was doing the unthinkable: scoring 40+ points per game.
Before you try to take away from what Maravich did by saying he was playing college competition or it was in a different era, can we just appreciate what “Pistol” was doing. In 3 seasons with LSU, he averaged 44.2 points, 5.1 assists, and 6.4 rebounds. Woah, did I write that right!?! Yes, 44.2 points. Maravich was not a 7-foot giant playing in games against 6-6 defenders (sorry to Wilt, but he had a little bit of an advantage). No, this was a guard dropping 40+ per game. Now, this brings me back to James Harden. Both players are prolific scorers, but in very different ways. Harden shoots around 14 3-pointers per game (making almost 5 per game), and can you guess how many Maravich shot? The answer is 0. This is absurd. Sure, it’s fun to watch Steph Curry pull up from 28+ feet, but can you imagine watching a player score 50 points, all coming from inside the 3-point line? We have become so accustomed to the 3-point line and dunks, that I think it can be easy to forget about the midrange as an effective weapon. Maravich used the midrange to absolute perfection
Watch some of his highlights below:
In the clip, you will see Maravich drilling all types of midrange baskets. Off-balance. One-handed. Turn-around fade away, you name it, he could make them all. This midrange game is an art that has escaped most of today’s NBA players and is what separates Pistol from the rest. Also, look at the ease he throws no look passes and shoots reverse layups: he has some of the best court awareness basketball history.
In a world where everyone is obsessed with the “eye test” (for readers that don’t know, the eye test is basically a way of fans saying that the stats don’t say the whole story), Maravich does not receive the recognition he deserves. He may have played 40 years ago, but that does not take away what he achieved. So, next time when you see twitter users talking about the best “pure” scorers in the game, do not forget to mention Pistol.
