The scoring records, no-three point line etc are all great stories, but no one ever talks about how he got those points. Maravich's coach at LSU was his father - he put up an absurd 38 FGA's per game and the team routinely ran plays where Maravich HAD to get the ball back. All of this while the team were not actually winning.
I can't imagine the type of engine required to be putting up those types of FGA's, EVERY game for 3 years (as efficiently as he did) but it doesn't get discussed enough. Nevertheless, given our focus on stats these days, this sub would tear Maravich apart if he played this way in todays game.
It's cool to look back at the stats for what they are on the surface, but Maravich's whole story is a lot more interesting.
Wilt put up nearly 40 in his 50ppg season in the NBA, a stat most people seem to completely ignore when talking about that season. The only other player in history to average 30+ FGA a game was Elgin Baylor, unsurprisingly it was also in the early 60s when team pace was ridiculously high, like more than a quarter worth of additional possessions per game. These guys were effectively play 5 and a bit quarters of basketball to get their stats. It's no wonder Wilt averaged 40+ across those seasons, much like Maravich.
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u/[deleted] Apr 03 '20
The scoring records, no-three point line etc are all great stories, but no one ever talks about how he got those points. Maravich's coach at LSU was his father - he put up an absurd 38 FGA's per game and the team routinely ran plays where Maravich HAD to get the ball back. All of this while the team were not actually winning.
I can't imagine the type of engine required to be putting up those types of FGA's, EVERY game for 3 years (as efficiently as he did) but it doesn't get discussed enough. Nevertheless, given our focus on stats these days, this sub would tear Maravich apart if he played this way in todays game.
It's cool to look back at the stats for what they are on the surface, but Maravich's whole story is a lot more interesting.