3. I have to take issue with my friend John Kirk. Statistically, shooting percentages went way up with the near universal adoption of the jump shot which did not take place until the mid 60's. Prior to that time, the players had been taught to shoot set shots.
Accordingly, it was more difficult to get an "open look". That is one of the reasons that the league emphasized the fast break, after the creation of the 24 second clock, as the only way to get consistently good looks. As for set plays, the old Celtics were famous for having a series of about 6 plays with multiple options that everybody knew but few could defend due to superb execution. Think of an early version of a motion offense( not to be confused with the Auburn shuffle).
4. Anybody who denigrates Wilt's athleticism only saw him play at the end. There wasn't anything he couldn't do except shoot free throws (psychological, he was great in practice) and beat Russell's Celts. Most of his points were by way of a deadly and unblockable fall away jump shot, not dunks. He could run the floor and he was very strong (understatement).
I must take issue with my friend and esteemed colleague SL. LOL. The big change in pro basketball the last ten or fifteen years is the leap in the player's ball skills. Especially shooting and dribbling, but I'd also argue that passing skills have improved. So far, the shooting percentages in the 2020-21 season are as follows:
3-pt. shooting: 36.7% (12.7 made per game)
2-pt. shooting: 53.6%
FT shooting: 77.8%
Let's look at 1985, semi-randomly selected:
3-pt. shooting: 28.2% (0.9 made per game (per team))
2-pt. shooting: 49.9%
FT shooting: 76.4%
I'll meet you halfway on this subject. I agree that jump shooting improved shooting, because it helped players escape the defense. Another problem with shooting in the old days was poor technique, set shots using two hands, or shot from a low release point. Hand checking and general defensive rules use to favor the defenders. Ever had somebody hand checking you while trying to dribble from A to B? Much harder, check that, impossible.
A couple of years ago, I watched another one of these vintage broadcasts on NBA TV, a 1985 playoff game between the Lakers and Celtics. The Lakers won the 6th game and the series. In the game, Danny Ainge went 3-16 and Dennis Johnson went 3-15 from the field. They kept missing 15-18 foot jumpers. These were huge physical teams, with 6-5 guards, 6-9 forwards and 7 foot centers. In retrospect, the spacing looked awful; everybody was bunched together and nobody could get open.
The Lakers-Celtics rivalry was my favorite era of basketball, but if these teams were transported as is to play the recent Warrior dynasty, I believe they'd get run out of the gym in four games. The great shooting, dribbling and passing would overwhelm them.
The overall truth is that players have improved consistently throughout the years in all aspects of the game. Like SL says, it's hard to judge players across eras, since these keenly competitive personalities would find a way to succeed.
My favorite players tend not to be the great scorers, but the guys who do the less obvious things that help the team win. I think Bill Walton is one of those players, that his contribution to the championship team is less obvious. He does what needs to be done.
My favorite player in this regard is Dennis Rodman. I became a devoted fan when he joined the San Antonio Spurs and started leading the league in rebounding every year. I went to see the Spurs play to see how he did it. The Spurs would run plays to a strong side, leaving Rodman at the weak side post of the offense, with some poor guy trying to keep Dennis from getting missed shots. I knew when Rodman joined the Bulls that he was a great acquisition. Great defender, great athlete. In 1997-8 he led the league in rebounding for the seventh straight year at age 36. You may have noticed that during the big ESPN documentary on the 97-98 season, that virtually no one had an unkind word about Dennis. What a ballplayer.
My modern favorite underrated genius is Rajan Rondo, who has a knack for making plays that lead to easy baskets. In his case, it's not as much hustle plays as finding players open for layups and dunks with phenomenal passes. I'm looking forward to see if he can help the Clippers get further in the playoffs, though he won't have an Anthony Davis as a recipient of his brilliance. Adding Rondo to the Clips will make me root for them a bit more, though I wish he had stayed with the Lakers.
Last observation of the post. I grew up in the Bay Area, and our best player for several years was Rick Barry. Perhaps guys like Pete Maravich were more entertaining, but watching Barry play a handful of times each year was very exciting. A very well rounded offensive game, and he was a relentless attacker. That guy loved to score buckets. We had our one moment in the sun when the Warriors won the 1975 title by upsetting the Bullets in a four game sweep. I went to both Finals games; our big group of friends stayed up all night in line at the San Francisco box office to get tickets.
Basketball remains my favorite thing. I agree with Cob's description of free throws and putting. Otherwise, basketball reminds me of jazz music. I agree with a lot of what Cob says. My wife has been eating a plant-based diet for four plus years now. It's clearly superior to the typical American diet, but you have to be diligent to get all the nutrients you need. And you're right, Kyrie Irving probably has the greatest moves in the history of the game.