Best Case Scenarios
If we’re optimistic about Ray Allen’s comeback season, what’s the best possible scenario imaginable for his first season back in the NBA?
Kareem has the best season ever for a player past 40 years old. He averaged 14.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 blocks in 28.9 minutes per game. Even at age 40, Kareem managed to convert on 53.2 percent of his shots.
Being 7’2″ probably helped with that, though. The best season a guard has ever had past their 30s belongs to John Stockton, who’s essentially running unopposed. The second-best season by a guard 40 or older belongs to John Long, who managed a whopping four points per game back in 1997.
Stockton did a bit better, managing to post 10.8 points, 7.7 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game at age 40 back in 2003. He shot 48.3 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from three-point range, although he took just one three per game.
If Ray Allen has found the fountain of youth, hopefully he can be as good as Stockton was back in ’03. If not, the next slide has a dose of reality ready and waiting.
Next: Realistic Expectations