Ladies and Gentleman: Please call me Skip Bayless as I have a less-than-popular opinion. I believe that it is a good thing that Hawks’ rookie John Collins did not get chosen to appear in the Slam Dunk Contest.
Why is that you might ask? There is a long, storied history of big men performances in the dunk contest — and almost all of them are less-than-optimal viewing for the basketball-loving public.
In fact, the slam dunk contest actually sucked right up until Vince Carter put on the greatest single performance in any dunk contest in history in 2000.
Since then, it is one of the most exciting events on the NBA calendar (if not the most). Chosen players showcase their most spectacular dunks and are given a score from 1-50. Since Vince Carter in 2000, only 2-non SF, SG or PGs have won the slam dunk contest, starting with:
- Dwight Howard in 2008
2. Blake Griffin in 2011
That’s it. Those were the only two big men slam dunk winners of all time.
Even though Aaron Gordon‘s insane performance from two years ago should’ve netted him the trophy, he actually finished second to Zach LaVine. But I mean, look at these highlights:
With those two exceptions in mind, big men have been historically disappointing in dunk contests.
There have been 35 big man dunks since 2000 (not including any of the 3 guys above) with an average score of 38.6. There have been 151 non-big man dunks since 2000 with an average score of 36.9. These scores do not include the 2014 or 2012 dunk contests as it was a fan vote and no numerical scoring was given.
With only a 2.7 point differential and over 115 more dunks by smaller players and therefore many more incomplete and bust dunks, big men like Andre Drummond, Kenneth Faried, Jonathan Bender and Amar’e Stoudemire have all been overmatched when it came to stylistic dunks.
In order to win, big men either have to be athletic freaks of nature (Griffin) or put on a perfect show (Howard).
Who wins the 2018 Dunk Contest? pic.twitter.com/QCEVnANvjm
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 2, 2018
The 2018 Slam Dunk Contest features some interesting contestants — although Larry Nance Jr. making it in over Donovan Mitchell is a crime (although with Aaron Gordon pulling out with a hip flexor injury, maybe Mitchell will be joining the lineup).
Big men like Larry Nance Jr. and Collins have the ability to absolutely destroy opponents on posters in-game, but almost no big men have enough mobility in the air to throw down windmills, through-the-legs or 360s. Uber-athletic guards like Victor Oladipo and Dennis Smith Jr. have more time and higher jumps to get off cooler tricks.
Next: Atlanta Hawks Trade Deadline Outlook
Because big men are at a disadvantage when it comes to scoring and showmanship, that is why I am glad John Collins is using his time on the Rising Stars game and not at the Slam Dunk Contest.