Boston Celtics: Where Does Kevin Garnett Fall on the All-Time Power Forwards List?

Kevin Garnett’s one of the best of all-time. (Photo Credit: Mark Runyon, Basketball Schedule)

Kevin Garnett has seen it all in his 18 seasons in the NBA. The veteran Boston Celtics big man was once the youngest player in the league and now, in the tail end of his illustrious career, we can start to truly appreciate one of the most extraordinary careers the NBA has ever seen.

Garnett is not done yet and he has a number of playoff battles left in that rangy seven-foot frame. But with a body of work that rivals some of the greatest players to ever grace the NBA hardwood, we can take time to assess where he ranks on the list of greatest power forwards, a position that his versatility helped to completely redefine.

Comparing resumes when it comes to all-time great athletes is never an easy task and conjecture over rankings is to be expected. The difficulty in comparing different eras, weighing team success against individual accomplishments and defining the impact a player had on the league is immense.

When it comes to the power forward position there is one name that stands above the rest universally and that is Garnett’s career-long sparring partner, The Big Fundamental, Tim Duncan. With unbridled success from day one in San Antonio, Duncan has career achievements that even other legendary players cannot compete with. Four NBA championships, three finals MVP awards and leading the Spurs to non-stop 50-win seasons (or the equivalent in the 2011-12 lock out) since his arrival leaves Duncan atop the list without need for comparison. The only argument against Duncan would be the notion that he could well be considered as a center for the majority of his career, however I do not see it like that and the man has earned his title as the greatest player ever at his position.

It is directly below Duncan that things become hazy and where we will start a lengthy comparison between four of the most unique, talented and competitive individuals the league has seen. Four players played the power forward position in completely different ways, making them even more difficult to compare. With no disrespect to any of the other great power forwards in this, or other generations, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, Dirk Nowitzki and of course, Garnett are the players that round out the top five and will be the subject of our discussion for number two behind Duncan.

Take a minute, this won’t be brief. Where do we begin?

Kevin Garnett added a championship to his legacy in Boston.

Photo Credit: TheMikeLee, Flickr.com

Career longevity/consistency:

In order to truly be great in sport, you cannot just be a flash in the pan nor have a brief appearance at the top. The best of the best sustain their greatness for longer than most players even manage to stay in the league. All four of these great forwards displayed that, with Garnett and Nowitzki still in the league, conquering milestones and defying Father Time.

Malone has an astonishing record of not only staying healthy, but producing at a high level. For 18 seasons in Utah, Malone never missed more than two games in a season and averaged 25 points per game over the course of his career. It was only in his brief, single season in Los Angeles that Malone succumbed to injury and played just 42 games, but at that stage his legendary iron man status was solidified. His ability to consistently produce points and stay on the floor allowed Malone to amass the second-most points in NBA history with 36,928. He was an incredibly consistent scorer, in the top five in the league for 13 straight seasons. He had 14 seasons where he averaged nine or more rebounds and shot better than 50 percent for his career. He was a pillar of health, production and consistency and his ability to stay on the court is unmatched, even within this elite group.

Now in his 18th season, Kevin Garnett has produced one of the most statistically amazing careers in the history of the league. He is the only player in league history to total more than 25,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 5,000 assists and 1,500 in both blocks and steals. Some of those totals he has easily passed and is just shy of reaching the 2,000 mark in rejections. One of the most prolific rebounders in league history, Garnett had 11 straight seasons with more than nine boards per game and three straight years with more than 13. He is in the top 10 all-time for rebounding and minutes played, he is also in the top 20 for points, blocks and steals and is even knocking on the door of the top 50 all-time in assists. Productive in every aspect of the game, Garnett’s impact is even beyond statistical measure with 12 appearances on the All-NBA defensive team, but more on awards later.

Dirk Nowitzki, in the midst of his 15th season, has become one the most prolific scoring big men in the history of the league and perhaps the best shooting big we have seen. This season sees the end of a streak of 12 straight seasons where Nowitzki never averaged less than 21 points per game. Nowitzki’s stellar shooting ability has allowed him to become a top 20 scorer all-time in league history and has led the Dallas Mavericks through the most successful period in the team’s history, leading them to the playoffs on 12 occasions. He is a career .878 free-throw shooter and is 15th all-time in free throws made. It appears that injury may have finally slowed down the offensive force that Nowitzki once was, but at 34 there are still a number of seasons for Dirk to rack up additional milestones.

Charles Barkley was a unique player. Listed at a generous 6’5”, Sir Charles made a career out of pure dominance on the glass and routinely put up more than 20 points per game. Barkley produced an 11-season stretch where he averaged at least 20 points and 11 rebounds per contest.  Barkley is among the top 20 in rebounds in league history, is 21st on the all-time scoring list and somewhat surprisingly ranks in the top 50 for steals. While he remained in the league for 18 seasons, Barkley did have eight occasions where he missed more than 10 games and was only able to manage 20 games in his final season. Amazingly, despite a total of 39,330 career minutes played, which is good for 33rd all-time, Barkley played the least among these four legends.

Career Peak:

Even among the longest and most consistent of careers, every player records a brief stretch of seasons where he excels even beyond his own usual performance and truly makes his mark on the league. Statistics skyrocket, teams exceed expectations and in the case of all four of these legends they elevated themselves to the status of the league’s most valuable player.

Malone’s longevity and consistency makes trying to select a small number of seasons as his peak next to impossible. Despite his most impressive individual statistical seasons coming early on in his career, Malone had the most success between the 1996-97 season and 1998-99, when he won two MVP awards and made two appearances in the NBA Finals. Despite the dip in points and rebounding averages from earlier in his career, Malone had developed into a much more well-rounded player and it paid off with increased team success. He made his only three appearances on the All-NBA defensive first team during this stretch and had become a considerably better passer. Speaking purely from a statistical perspective, which is where the others find their career peak, Malone had an astonishing 1989-90 season where he averaged 11.1 rebounds and 31 points on a ridiculous .562 shooting percentage. It is one of the most efficient and dominant scoring seasons anyone in the NBA has ever produced.

While Kevin Garnett has experienced a great deal of team success later in his career with Boston, it was in Minnesota where he went from a skinny high school prospect to the league’s most valuable player. Over a three-season stretch from 2002-05, Garnett produced some of the most dominant and simply amazing statistics ever registered. He averaged more than 13 rebounds per game in each of the three seasons, peaking at 13.9. He had an incredible 5.0, 5.7 and 6.0 assist per-game average as a big man and did not miss a single contest over the three-season stretch. He reached his scoring peak in his 2003-04 MVP season with 24.2 points per game, a career high in blocks with 2.2 and over this dominant three-season stretch he shot better than.500. He became the only player to average more than 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for six straight seasons between 1999-2005.

Dirk Nowitzki has maintained an incredible consistency in his scoring since he cracked the 20-point average in just his third season. After improvement in his all-around game and a rise in his efficiency, Dirk turned the corner in 2005 and produced six straight seasons as one of the league’s best go-to scorers. Nowitzki won the 2006-07 NBA MVP award, averaging 24.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and shooting better than 50 percent from the field. It was the second season running where he also shot better than 40 percent from 3-point range and better than 90 percent at the free-throw line. Dirk had some of the most efficient scoring seasons we have seen in recent history with his dead-eye shooting from long range and seeming inability to miss from the line. He had back-to-back seasons where his assists per game peaked at 3.4 and 3.5, respectively, and right at the end of his peak was able to produce a championship and Finals MVP performance in 2011.

Another player who’s career peak is extremely hard to define, Barkley’s insane 14.6 rebound average in the 1986-87 season immediately jumps off the page, which he then followed up the next season with a career-high 28.3 points. Barkley was awarded the MVP in the 1992-93 season following averages of 25.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists, which was a career high. His incredible run of dominance had started years earlier and in the 1989-90 season he shot an unbelievable .600 from the field while averaging more than 25 points per game. Impossible to find a peak in his rebounding, Barkley remained in double figures until the end of his career, not dipping below that mark after his rookie season. Over a seven-season stretch ending in his MVP year, Barkley never averaged less than 23 points per game and shot no worse than .552.

Kevin Garnett is one of, if not the greatest, passing big man of all-time.

Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr.com

Team/Playoff Success:

In judging the all-time greats, team success and postseason results are always a determining factor. Despite the fact that an individual can only do so much in what is a team sport, the greatest players have always found a way to become a champion. Their leadership and immense talents often lead their respective franchises to their highest peaks and can lift teammates to play to their full potential. All four of these legends experienced a great deal of team success, but not all were able to get over the hump of winning an NBA title.

Malone teamed up with legendary point guard John Stockton to lead the Utah Jazz through the most successful period in the team’s history. During their tenure in Utah, the pair led the Jazz to 11 seasons with more than 50 wins and made two trips to the NBA Finals. The two occasions where the Jazz managed to make the championship series they were met by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls who, as we knew, repeatedly won title after title throughout the 1990s. Malone and the Jazz failed to take advantage of Jordan’s foray into baseball while the Houston Rockets capitalized and won back-to-back titles. Malone had his shooting efficiency dip in the playoffs, where the Jazz lacked another go-to scorer and defenses could double the Mailman in the post. Malone made a last-ditch effort to win a title by joining the L.A. Lakers but his run was cut short by injury and the Lakers failed in the Finals against the Detroit Pistons. Despite his consistent success and dominance throughout the regular season, Malone’s legacy will always be haunted by a lack of playoff success, especially the failure to win an NBA title alongside one of the all-time great point guards.

Garnett was drafted by and spent 12 seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he experienced mixed results in terms of team success. With a less-than-stellar supporting cast, Garnett led the Timberwolves to eight straight playoff appearances and made it as far as the Western Conference Finals, but more often than not was eliminated in the first round. Since his departure to the Boston Celtics, the Timberwolves have failed to make the playoffs while Garnett has become a staple in the postseason. He had an immediate impact upon joining the Celtics in 2007, when he anchored a historical defense and led the Celtics to the 2007-08 championship. The Celtics spent five straight seasons at the top of the Atlantic Division, made another appearance in the NBA Finals and have become one of the most feared opponents in the Eastern Conference. Despite the majority of his postseason appearances coming after his prime statistical years, his playoff averages either match or exceed his regular-season marks. The change in Garnett’s career once he moved to Boston cannot be understated.

The Dallas Mavericks have experienced the most successful period in the team’s history since they added Dirk Nowitzki. He has led them to 12 straight playoff appearances which culminated with a 2010-11 NBA championship. Dirk has always lifted his game in the playoffs and his averages well exceed even his impressive regular-season marks. He won the Finals MVP in 2011 when his Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat, who were led by then-three-time MVP LeBron James. Dirk rocketed up the all-time rankings with his Finals victory; he has spent his entire career with the same organization and was the unquestioned leader on that championship team. While the supporting cast was strong, there was no clear-cut second option nor was there another Hall of Fame-level player on the roster–point guard Jason Kidd will end up in Springfield, to be sure, but was well past his prime by 2010-11. Dirk has been the go-to player year after year in the playoffs for the Mavericks and will have further opportunities to grow his postseason legend in coming years.

Barkley started his career with the Philadelphia 76ers, where the team made the playoffs in six of his seven seasons. The most successful run was in his rookie year when his more experienced star teammates led the team to the Eastern Conference Finals. As the unquestioned leader after their departure, Barkley could not lead the 76ers on another deep run before his move to Phoenix. While with the Suns, Barkley led the team to more 50 wins in each of his four seasons and was a dominant force as he led them to a single Finals appearance. His final four seasons in Houston were less successful with two first-round exits and a failure to qualify for the playoffs in the other two, one of which Barkley was injured for. Barkley was as productive in the playoffs as he was in the regular season but he rarely managed to lead his team deep into the playoffs and is another player from the 1990s that Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon kept ringless.

Awards/Achievements:

When you are discussing some of the greatest players ever to step on the court the list of individual awards and achievements is bound to be extensive. Between just four players this group has won five MVP awards, made 51 All-Star appearances, won five Olympic gold medals, has 16 All-Defensive team selections and 49 appearances on All-NBA teams. So who is responsible for what and will this help us separate these players at all?

Malone, the ever-consistent scoring and rebounding machine, made an immediate impact on the league leading to his selection on the NBA All-Rookie team. He strung together an extremely impressive 14 appearances as an NBA All-Star and equaled that number of All-NBA teams, 11 of which were first-team selections. He was a two-time Olympic gold medalist as a member of the Dream Team and was a two-time Most Valuable Player in 1996-97 and 1998-99. He improved his defense later in his career, making three appearances on the All-NBA defensive first team to go along with a second-team selection he had earlier in his career.

Kevin Garnett may have the most complete awards list amongst even this elite company. He has the most All-Star appearances with 15, nine All-NBA selections–including four on the first team–and was a member of the 2000 Olympic gold medal-winning Team USA. Garnett was the NBA MVP in 2003-04, but his most successful season came in 2007-08. In his first season with the Boston Celtics, Garnett was honored as the Defensive Player of the Year, the only player on this list to win that award, and became an NBA champion in the same season. Garnett’s 12 All-NBA defensive team selections, including nine on the first team, separates him as the one true elite defender and defensive anchor among the group.

Dirk Nowitzki holds an individual award that is perhaps the most important and one that no other player on this list can claim to have and that is an NBA Finals MVP. Not only did Dirk lead the Mavericks to the 2010-11 championship, but he was honored as the unquestioned best player in the series. Dirk adds that prestigious honor to his 2006-07 regular-season MVP award and 11 All-Star appearances. He has been selected to the All-NBA team on 12 occasions, including four on the first team.

Barkley’s dominance in the NBA resulted in a streak of 11 straight All-Star appearances and 11 selections on the All-NBA team. He was a member of five All-NBA first teams and was awarded the 1992-93 Most Valuable Player award. He made the NBA All-Rookie first team and went on to represent the USA at two Olympics, winning gold medals on both occasions.

Dirk Nowitzki’s 2010-11 NBA Finals MVP puts him in elite company.

Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr.com

Summary:

So, where on earth does this all leave us? Have you made up your mind or are you more confused now than before you started reading?

After all, this article was an attempt to rank a single player, Kevin Garnett on the list of top power forwards, but doing so without comparing his accomplishments to his peers would be remiss. There are always factors that affect a player’s career that they have little to no control over  and these can either be of great benefit or detrimental in the long run.

For one, Karl Malone played with one of the greatest point guards the league has ever seen for nearly every single game of his career. Playing with the league’s all-time assist leader and no other go-to scorer is bound to inflate one’s point totals, but that is not to take away from how talented he was on that end.

Neither Malone nor Barkley, despite their individual dominance, was ever able to lead a team to a championship. They, along with Nowitzki, were never a defensive anchor or force on that end of the court that Garnett is. It is here that I believe Garnett separates himself, all be it ever so slightly from the rest. While his career scoring average is the lowest of the group he was still a routine 20 point per game scorer, but his impact was felt all over the court.

Garnett is the best passer among the group and is potentially the best passing big man of all-time. He is the most prolific shot blocker, has the most steals and the second most rebounds while also being by far the best team defender. His defensive impact is immense. He has consistently anchored one of the best defenses in the league since arriving in Boston and has been a perennial All-NBA defensive team member throughout his career.

At least in my opinion, Kevin Garnett is the second best power forward of all-time. He is possibly the most versatile big man in the league’s history and is the only player, even among this elite group that truly has no weakness. He is able to score inside and out, set up teammates, dominate on the glass and can play defense in the post or out to the perimeter. There is no greater competitor in the league’s history than the Big Ticket and the change in his career once he arrived in Boston took him from being a dominant player statistically to a proven winner with an NBA championship to round out his resume. There is no wrong answer here, there is an advanced statistical analysis or an argument to say that any four of these players deserves the second position but the most complete of them all is Garnett.

For argument’s sake, we’ll round out the top five.

Malone comes in third, just behind Garnett. His consistent dominance, ability to stay on the court and sustained success still manage to outweigh the fact he retired without a championship.

Nowitzki is fourth, his amazing run to the 2010-11 title catapulted him up the all-time rankings and his Finals MVP is the award that could have the most meaning of them all.

Barkley, despite his individual dominance, simply does not have the sustained success or individual accomplishments of the other three, which seems absurd when you look at his career. There is no downplaying just how great of a player Sir Charles was and is one of the most unique players the league will ever see, but he is a small step down from the other three and sits fifth in our All-Time rankings.

When you analyse the careers of these legends you realise that we are lucky enough to still be watching three of the top five greatest ever at the power forward position. Duncan, Garnett and Nowizki are all now in the tail ends of their careers but still have the opportunity to amass some amazing individual statistical achievements as well as the chance to lead their teams to more success and further build their legacy.

Love him or hate him, Kevin Garnett is right up there with the greatest players to ever grace the NBA. Don’t wait until his career is over to appreciate it.