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Blind Resume: Picking a shooting guard for a post-1980s dream team

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If you could build a team using some of the best players from the last three decades, what would that team look like?

That's the question we're trying to answer on this edition of Blind Resume.

Each day this week, I'm going to give three members of our NBA.com Global Staff a player comparison from Basketball-Reference that is made up of one superstar from the 1990s, one from the 2000s, one from the 2010s and one wildcard. I'll start by providing each player's raw numbers from one particular season. Then I'll reveal their shooting percentages to give everyone an opportunity to change their answer as more information becomes available.

We've decided to stick with the last 30 years because "The Last Dance" has us in 1990s mode right now. That's why you won't see the likes of Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Oscar Roberston, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. Even if some of those legends did play in the 1990s, their peaks came much sooner.

The player at the top of each chart is Player A, followed by Player B, Player C and Player D.

Today, we're picking the shooting guard for our post-80s dream team. 

Step 1: The raw stats

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Leandro Fernàndez (@FernandezLea): I already have a PG that has the perfect combination of scoring and passing in Steve Nash, so I don't need a big-time facilitator here. And since my PG is not known as a great defensive player, I'm picking Player C. He's not the best scorer, but he's still averaging over 30 points with a good balance of rebounds and assists, plus the best combination of steals and blocks.

Augustín Aboy (@AboyAgustin): Player C. He is very well rounded.

Juan Estévez (@JuanEstevez90): I'm going with Player C. Player B leads in points, rebounds and assists, but those turnover numbers scare me. Also, I like Player C's defensive numbers.

Carlan Gay (@TheCarlanGay): I'm going with Player D. His turnovers are a bit high but I'm building my roster with defence and ball movement in mind. I'll take the 7.0 assists and 1.3 blocks despite the 3.2 turnovers per game.

Step 2: The shooting percentages

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Fernàndez: Interesting ... Player C not having much of a 3-point shot is concerning, but I already picked the best PG in that area. Seems from another era, probably a mid-range killer? Am I sensing a Last Dance vibe here? Yeah, I'm sticking with Player C, sorry.

Aboy: He doesn't shoot 3s but he wasn't that bad at it and seems to be a great slasher. Sticking with Player C.

Estévez: Only 1.1 3-point attempts per game on 31 percent shooting? Let me go back and pick Player B instead. He leads in every category... I will have to live with his turnovers, I guess.

Gay: I almost switched to Player B but the turnovers are high and I'm not getting the blocks. So I'll stick with my choice of Player D, stubbornly.

 

Who are they?

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Player A is Kobe Bryant from the 2005-06 season. This was the season Bryant led the league in scoring for the first time in his career and made the All-NBA First Team.

Player B is James Harden from the 2018-19 season. This was the season Harden finished second in MVP voting behind Giannis Antetokounmpo and made the All-NBA First Team.

Player C is Michael Jordan from the 1990-91 season. This was the season Jordan won his first title. He was also named MVP of the league.

Player D is Dwyane Wade from the 2008-09 season. This was the season Wade led the league in scoring and made the All-NBA First Team.

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Why those seasons? I picked each player's best season of the decade based on their PER. It isn't perfect, but it was the best way that I could think of to remove bias and make this fair.

Fernàndez stuck with Jordan, so he now has Steve Nash at point guard and Jordan at shooting guard on his team.

Aboy stuck with Jordan as well, so he now has Steve Nash at point guard and Jordan at shooting guard on his team.

Estévez went from Jordan to Harden, so he now has Chris Paul at point guard and Harden at shooting guard on his team.

Gay stuck with Wade, so he now has John Stockton at point guard and Wade at shooting guard on his team.

The only player who wasn't picked was Bryant. Surprising? Sort of. Bryant didn't have as well-rounded of a season as Harden, Jordan and Wade, but I figured he'd be a happy medium. Not only was he the second-best scorer and second-best 3-point shooter of the group, but he also didn't turn the ball over quite as much as Harden and Wade. Context probably would have helped him more than anyone else, as this was the season he led a Los Angeles Lakers whose second-leading scorer was Lamar Odom to 45 wins and a Game 7 against the Phoenix Suns in the first round.

Now that we're gone through the shooting guards, check back tomorrow for the small forwards!

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Scott Rafferty is a Senior NBA Editor for The Sporting News