Shawn Marion and Detlef Schrempf are two of the most underrated two-way players that ever played in the NBA. The 6ft 7” former Suns forward is the only player apart from Hakeem Olajuwon, Karl Malone, and Kevin Garnett with at least 17000 points, 9000 rebounds, 1500 steals, and 1000 blocks.
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By the time he retired, playing his last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2015, Marion became the only player to have 15k points, 10k rebounds, 1k blocks, and 500 made 3-pointers in his career.
One of the toughest guys to get past on the court, Marion also averaged around 20 points and 10 rebounds for multiple seasons during his prime. But only because he wasn’t “superstar material” for the league, he did not make as big a name or earn accolades that players far inferior to him on the court achieved.
However, Kenny “The Jet” Smith made sure Shawn and Detlef got their flowers when he recently met them in person.
Kenny Smith says Detlef Schrempf was Luka Doncic before Luka
As much as the common man believes it’s all about money for the athletes, recognition, and accolades mean more to those who don’t receive as much as they deserved. One such player in the NBA was the 6ft 10′ forward from Germany, Detlef Schrempf.
That might be the reason why the former 2x NBA champ and Inside the NBA analyst Kenny Smith told him he was the “Luka [Doncic] before Luka” and talked about the “what could have been” if it weren’t for the hand-checks during the time they played.
Schrempf debuted in 1985 but had a pretty similar resume as Marion. He was a 3-time All-Star (1 less than Marion), and one-time All-NBA Third Team Selection (1 less) but was a sixth man of the year twice in his 16-year career.
The hand-check rule
It might be the most influential rule change in the NBA ever. You must have noticed the big men or players who use physicality have been putting up fewer 50-point games compared to players with more skills.
That started happening after NBA officially made ‘hand-check’ a foul in the 2004-05 season, 10 years after its introduction as a tactic that can be used by defenders in 1994.
If it wasn’t there at all players like Schrempf would be stars because of their all round skills and terrific shooting.
