Wilt's record rebound year - 1960-61

Many fans are mesmerized by Wilt's record 27.2 rebounds pe game in 1960-61 - but lets take a look at the reasons for this extremely high number.
    #1  He averaged 47.8 minutes per game - Based on minutes played his rebounds reduce to 20.5 for 36 minutes
    #2  The number of missed shots per game that year was extremely high - resulting in an average of 128.8 rebounds per game.
    #3   Wilt's 20.5 rebs represented 0.159% of the total rebs in a game
 
    #4   This past years leader, Drummond, was tops with 16.2 per 36 minutes.
    #5    The average number of rebounds was only 87.6
    #6    Multiplying the low number of rebs in 15-16 (87.6) by Wilts 0.159% results in a projected rebound figure of 13.9. Ranking him 4th below Drummond,Jordan and Whiteside


http://bkref.com/tiny/Y5hiA

 The average weight of those 10 players that wilt would have faced, all listed as centers, center forwards or forward centers, was 221.2 lbs.
 Wilt's weight was 275 lbs.

 Compare their shooting percentages with their below counterparts






http://bkref.com/tiny/vb7K1

 The average weight for the above players is 254.7 lbs. He'd be no Goliath here.


All above is probably uninteresting to many - Just an old timer that enjoys relating the basketball history of the nba past to the present.


  swish

Swish

speculation of course

but IF Wilt was a young buck in College somewhere in 2010-2015............... he most likely would have been a 1 and done and also would have been worked on by trainers and coaches to probably gain a bit more muscle, although he was probably one of the strongest players of his era. He was pretty thin in his early years.

Comparing eras is interesting but there is no absolute correct answer for sure.



beat

Hard to argue with Swish`s facts.On another note, playing that many minutes is, in itself, remarkable. Am I right in remembering Wilt never fouled out of a game? It helps your rebound numbers if you don`t bother playing defense. Kevin Love comes to mind.Since you have the numbers at your fingertips, Swish, what did Russ average that year?

jrleftfoot wrote:Hard to argue with Swish`s facts.On another note, playing that many minutes is, in itself, remarkable. Am I right in remembering Wilt never fouled out of a game? It helps your rebound numbers if you don`t bother playing defense. Kevin Love comes to mind.Since you have the numbers at your fingertips, Swish, what did Russ average that year?

never fouled out

Refs swallowed the whistles when it could have happened or charged it to a nearby teammate

Wilt played D......Russ has the battle scars to prove that. But he was somewhat soft at the same time, which was always an issue for him IMHO.

beat

beat wrote:

jrleftfoot wrote:Hard to argue with Swish`s facts.On another note, playing that many minutes is, in itself, remarkable. Am I right in remembering Wilt never fouled out of a game? It helps your rebound numbers if you don`t bother playing defense. Kevin Love comes to mind.Since you have the numbers at your fingertips, Swish, what did Russ average that year?

never fouled out

Refs swallowed the whistles when it could have happened or charged it to a nearby teammate

Wilt played D......Russ has the battle scars to prove that. But he was somewhat soft at the same time, which was always an issue for him IMHO.

beat

           its been so long since I watched any of those games except for Havlicek steals the ball on Hardwood Classics, I`n not sure I can trust my memory. Its a good thing Havlicek stole the ball, because the game might otherwise have gone down as a monumental choke. I believe that was the game where Russell made his infamous"Wilt didn`t want to play any more " postgame statement, isn`t it?

jrleftfoot wrote:Hard to argue with Swish`s facts.On another note, playing that many minutes is, in itself, remarkable. Am I right in remembering Wilt never fouled out of a game? It helps your rebound numbers if you don`t bother playing defense. Kevin Love comes to mind.Since you have the numbers at your fingertips, Swish, what did Russ average that year?

In 1960-61 Russ averaged 44.3 minutes per game and 23.9 rebounds per game. Based on 36 minutes per game, his reb average dropped to 19.4 . His 19.4 rebs per 36 minutes were achieved during a year when the league average for rebs was a very high 128.8 per game. In 2015-16 the league ave. for rebs per game was only 87.6. As a result Russ would have a 13.2 rebs per 36 minutes average - all while playing against the same players as listed in an earlier stats chart of 1960-61.

swish

jrleftfoot wrote:

beat wrote:

jrleftfoot wrote:Hard to argue with Swish`s facts.On another note, playing that many minutes is, in itself, remarkable. Am I right in remembering Wilt never fouled out of a game? It helps your rebound numbers if you don`t bother playing defense. Kevin Love comes to mind.Since you have the numbers at your fingertips, Swish, what did Russ average that year?

never fouled out

Refs swallowed the whistles when it could have happened or charged it to a nearby teammate

Wilt played D......Russ has the battle scars to prove that. But he was somewhat soft at the same time, which was always an issue for him IMHO.

beat

           its been so long since I watched any of those games except for Havlicek steals the ball on Hardwood Classics, I`n not sure I can trust my memory. Its a good thing Havlicek stole the ball, because the game might otherwise have gone down as a monumental choke. I believe that was the game where Russell made his infamous"Wilt didn`t want to play any more " postgame statement, isn`t it?

1965 Hondo stole the ball. C's had the ball and only needed to inbound it, Russ threw it in but it hit a guide wire that supported the basket. TURNOVE and the rest is history.

Russ said Wilt didn't wan tto play anymore after his final game. Game #7 in LA 1969 for the NBA title the famous Balloon game. Although no one knew at the time it was to be Russell's last game. I believe he knew it was too or he never would have said anything close to that remark.

beat

swish wrote:

jrleftfoot wrote:Hard to argue with Swish`s facts.On another note, playing that many minutes is, in itself, remarkable. Am I right in remembering Wilt never fouled out of a game? It helps your rebound numbers if you don`t bother playing defense. Kevin Love comes to mind.Since you have the numbers at your fingertips, Swish, what did Russ average that year?

In 1960-61 Russ averaged 44.3 minutes per game and 23.9 rebounds per game. Based on 36 minutes per game, his reb average dropped to 19.4 . His 19.4 rebs per 36 minutes were achieved during a year when the league average for rebs was a very high 128.8 per game. In 2015-16 the league ave. for rebs per game was only 87.6. As a result Russ would have a 13.2 rebs per 36 minutes average - all while playing against the same players as listed in an earlier stats chart of 1960-61.

  swish

   Thanks, Swish.Pretty fascinating stuff when you go into this kind of statistical depth.

jrleftfoot wrote:

swish wrote:

jrleftfoot wrote:Hard to argue with Swish`s facts.On another note, playing that many minutes is, in itself, remarkable. Am I right in remembering Wilt never fouled out of a game? It helps your rebound numbers if you don`t bother playing defense. Kevin Love comes to mind.Since you have the numbers at your fingertips, Swish, what did Russ average that year?

In 1960-61 Russ averaged 44.3 minutes per game and 23.9 rebounds per game. Based on 36 minutes per game, his reb average dropped to 19.4 . His 19.4 rebs per 36 minutes were achieved during a year when the league average for rebs was a very high 128.8 per game. In 2015-16 the league ave. for rebs per game was only 87.6. As a result Russ would have a 13.2 rebs per 36 minutes average - all while playing against the same players as listed in an earlier stats chart of 1960-61.

  swish

   Thanks, Swish.Pretty fascinating stuff when you go into this kind of statistical depth.

Some times you can put a different slant on history by doing some serious research. For me the comparison of generations within the nba is a labor of love.


swish

beat wrote:

jrleftfoot wrote:

beat wrote:

jrleftfoot wrote:Hard to argue with Swish`s facts.On another note, playing that many minutes is, in itself, remarkable. Am I right in remembering Wilt never fouled out of a game? It helps your rebound numbers if you don`t bother playing defense. Kevin Love comes to mind.Since you have the numbers at your fingertips, Swish, what did Russ average that year?

never fouled out

Refs swallowed the whistles when it could have happened or charged it to a nearby teammate

Wilt played D......Russ has the battle scars to prove that. But he was somewhat soft at the same time, which was always an issue for him IMHO.

beat

           its been so long since I watched any of those games except for Havlicek steals the ball on Hardwood Classics, I`n not sure I can trust my memory. Its a good thing Havlicek stole the ball, because the game might otherwise have gone down as a monumental choke. I believe that was the game where Russell made his infamous"Wilt didn`t want to play any more " postgame statement, isn`t it?

1965 Hondo stole the ball.   C's had the ball and only needed to inbound it, Russ threw it in but it hit a guide wire that supported the basket. TURNOVE and the rest is history.

Russ said Wilt didn't wan tto play anymore after his final game. Game #7 in LA 1969 for the NBA title the famous Balloon game. Although no one knew at the time it was to be Russell's last game. I believe he knew it was too or he never would have said anything close to that remark.

beat

   I had those games mixed up, Beat . Thanks for straightening me out. Celts quit running in that 69 game, Em Bryant kept missing jumpers and a 17 point lead dwindled. Those were exciting years. Sports were simpler. 2 eight team major leagues in baseball. I was watching the track and field guys run out of the smoke filled tunnel last night at the Olympics and thinking about Red`s disdain for cheerleaders, lol

beat wrote:

jrleftfoot wrote:Hard to argue with Swish`s facts.On another note, playing that many minutes is, in itself, remarkable. Am I right in remembering Wilt never fouled out of a game? It helps your rebound numbers if you don`t bother playing defense. Kevin Love comes to mind.Since you have the numbers at your fingertips, Swish, what did Russ average that year?

never fouled out

Refs swallowed the whistles when it could have happened or charged it to a nearby teammate

Wilt played D......Russ has the battle scars to prove that. But he was somewhat soft at the same time, which was always an issue for him IMHO.

beat

Could low personal foul averages per game, be to some degree, the result of players realizing that staying out of foul trouble could be extremely important to the teams success.
Below numbers are based on a players fouls per 36 minutes divided by the league's average number of fouls committed per game for that year.

In 1960-61 Wilt committed only 1.2 fouls per 36 minutes against a league average of 53.6 fouls per game - for a frequency rate of 0.022.
In 1960-61 Russ committed 1.6 fouls per 36 minutes against a league average of 53.6 fouls per game - for a frequency rate of 0.029
In 2015-16 both Durant and James had 1.9 fouls per 36 minutes against a low league average of 40.6 fouls per game - For a frequency rate of 0.046
All 4 super stars with fantastically low personal foul frequency rates. Favored by the officials - or headier players intent on avoiding careless fouls.
Others like Cousy, Bird and Magic also had low frequency foul rates.


swish