Basketball fans consider Tim Duncan the greatest power forward of all time. However, prime on prime, Rasheed Wallace believes Kevin Garnett may be better.
On the Sheed and Tyler podcast, the former North Carolina Tar Heel explains why he believes Garnett was better than Duncan.
“KG, because KG carried that team. He carried Minnesota. Tim Duncan had help in his prime. He had a great line of veterans when he first came in the league. You know, D-Rob (David Robinson), Avery Johnson, Sean Elliott, Mario Elie– that’s a great lineup of veterans… but KG carried that Minnesota team.
At first, when you thought of Minnesota, that’s who you thinking of. When you think about San Antonio, at first you think about David Robinson, because he was The Admiral, he was the anchor, he was the face of that team.
Tim Duncan came along and he had success, but I don’t know if he would’ve been able to carry a team early on the way that KG did. KG was everything for that team. Tim Duncan didn’t become that until he was seasoned.“
Rasheed Wallace on Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan
Garnett was definitely a better passer and a more versatile defender than Duncan. He practically changed pick-and-roll defense and made it an art form. He can lock down one to five the way Duncan could only dream of. However, having little veteran help early in his career doesn’t make Garnett better. That makes Duncan’s team better than Garnett’s, but that doesn’t mean he is individually better.
Nevertheless, you can never go wrong with either guy. Duncan’s entire body of work for the San Antonio Spurs and the Minnesota Timberwolves version of Garnett are both phenomenal.
However, it’s also interesting to ponder what could’ve been different in Garnett’s career if he had Ray Allen and Paul Pierce from the start. Duncan benefitted greatly from continuity and had five championships to show for it.
Do you think Garnett is better than Duncan in their prime?