NBA: 50 greatest players who aren’t in the Basketball Hall of Fame

50 greatest players who aren’t in the Basketball Hall of Fame: 8. Mark Price

It’s often exaggerated when someone says, “This player would be even better in this era than their own!” There are complex factors that play into whether or not that would be true, including some combination of skill level, athletic ability, and the vague blanket statement of how they’d fit.

One player who fits the bill of a player whose game not only fits the modern structure of basketball, but perhaps influenced the development of it, is Cleveland Cavaliers legend Mark Price.

Price is widely regarded as one of the greatest shooters in NBA history, which certainly helps when discussing hypothetical cross-generational success. What many from his time will be quick to remind you of, however, is that Price is the player who popularized the splitting of the pic.

In turn, Price revolutionized the single most popular play in contemporary basketball.

As a pick and roll maestro and sharpshooting point guard who excelled at both creating his own shot and finding opportunities for others, it’s safe to say that Price checks the boxes for players we wish could hop in a time machine.

More important than what he could do, however, is what Price actually managed to accomplish. Despite having his career shortened by injuries, he was named All-NBA in four different seasons, including the First Team nod he received in 1992-93 alongside Michael Jordan and ahead of John Stockton.

That was one season after Price led the Cavaliers to the Eastern Conference Finals, a series during which the Cavaliers actually had home-court advantage. They pushed Jordan’s Chicago Bulls to six games during that series, which was a monumental feat unto itself.

Whether or not that success would’ve translated to 2021 will never be proven, but Price was a series of devastating injuries away from ending up with the other star point guards from his era in the Hall of Fame.