Scoring points is like picking something out of a bag, and defending is like evaporating the air? This NBA legend is the ceiling of "offense is strong and defense is weak"

When talking about the "specialists" in the NBA, many fans will think of Towns' softness and the landmark height of 175. But if you want to talk about a star who can make "offense" to the extreme and "defense" to a historical shortcoming, then the name of "Pistol" Pete Maravich must be put on the table. If he had played in the small-ball era, he would have probably made the data geeks revel in sleepless nights, and the defensive coaches so worried that they lost their hair - after all, not everyone can average 30 points per game and be used as a cash machine by opponents at the same time.

Let's talk about his sharp offense first, which is the "traffic code" of the NBA in ancient times. In an era when there was no three-point line, Maravich dominated the league with his skills that were ahead of his time. The routine operations of modern stars such as passing without looking at people, dribbling under the hips, and pulling the lever in the air were all his "unique skills" in the 1970s. In college, he set a terrifying NCAA record of 44.2 points per game, and he was even more comfortable in the NBA. In the 1976-77 season, he averaged 31.1 points per game and won the scoring title. You must know that the pace of the game at that time was much slower than now, and the gold content of scoring was comparable to 40+ today.

His offense does not rely on physical confrontation, but relies on his brain and feel. It is like having a real "pistol" in his hand. He can raise his hand to fire anytime and anywhere, and his shooting percentage is quite reliable. His career field goal percentage of 44.1% per game is definitely top-notch among guards. At that time, fans bought tickets to watch the game between the Hawks and Jazz. To put it bluntly, they were watching Maravich perform. Even his opponents had to take time to appreciate his goals. This offensive charm cannot be summarized by simple data.

But when you look back at his defense, you can see that "how powerful the offense is, how heavy the defense is." With a height of 1.96 meters, he is not short among defenders, but Maravich does not like to defend or know how to defend by nature. He weighs only 84 kilograms and his ability to fight is weak. He always saves all his energy for offense. On the defensive end, he either stands and watches the show or is passed by his opponent in one step. He is too lazy to even work on the most basic blocking and stealing. At that time, in order to hide his shortcomings, the coach could only ask his teammates to help him defend. The result was that the opponents would focus on his "breakthrough" every time they attacked, and sometimes even let the worst-scoring player in the team fight against him, just to focus on the offensive end.

A reporter asked him why he didn't defend. He smiled and said, "Basketball is for scoring, not chasing people." This "frankness" is second to none. In the 10 seasons of his career, he has never been in any defensive lineup, and his defensive efficiency even ranked last in the league in one season. This huge contrast between offense and defense cannot be found among historical stars. Some people may say that Curry and Lillard also have defensive shortcomings, but they at least have a defensive attitude and can defend a few at critical moments. However, Maravich has given up on defense from a conceptual perspective and purely regards himself as an "offensive artist." In the small ball era, he would most likely be forced by the coach to practice defense, but in ancient times, the league valued individual heroism more, and his partiality became a unique label.

Even so, his offensive talent still made him inducted into the Hall of Fame. After all, people who can make basketball an art do not need to be defined by "offense and defense."