50. Boris Diaw
With summer dragging on and on and on before the NBA tips off, we’ve decided to initiate a multipart series that will be the definitive look at the best players in the NBA today. Over the next month or so we’ll run down the 50 guys that we think are the 50 best players, right here, right now.
With summer dragging on and on and on before the NBA tips off, we’ve decided to initiate a multipart series that will be the definitive look at the best players in the NBA today.
Over lunch at the Outback Steakhouse (word to Steve Irwin), your crack SLAMonline.com staff sat down and ranked the 50 best players in the NBA today. We realize that’s kind of ambiguous, but that’s how basketball is and that’s how we like it. Basically, though, we tried to list the 50 guys we think have the most value to their teams, right now, at this moment. This doesn’t mean they’ll never be traded, and it doesn’t mean they’re due tremendous contract extensions, but it does mean — since value is king in the NBA — that over the next month or so we’ll run down the 50 guys that we think are the 50 best players, right here, right now.
Before long it’ll be time for our annual NBA team previews. Right now it’s time for some law and order…
50. Boris Diaw, Phoenix Suns
The story goes like this: It was a few days after the 2004-05 season had ended, and Hawks coach Mike Woodson sat down with Hawks guard Boris Diaw for their postseason meeting. It had been a tough year in the ATL. It was Woodson’s first season in charge, and he had a team intent on rebuilding, plus a disgruntled Antoine Walker (is there any other kind?). The Hawks finished the season a dismal 13-69.
Boris Diaw hadn’t had the best of years either. The Hawks had drafted the 6-8 Frenchman 21st overall in the summer of 2003, and had tried using him in every position imaginable — from inbounds specialist to forward to point guard — with no blatant success. Diaw often appeared to be drifting on the court, almost unable to assert himself.
Woodson opened the meeting with some general comments and then said, “For next season, we’d like you to work on your shooting, your…”
Diaw cut him off.
“I can not play for you,” Boris said.
And then he got up and walked out.
Whether that story is true or not, I don’t know, because I haven’t asked Boris about it (yet). But I’ve heard it enough times from enough different people that at least some part of it must be true. Diaw was probably fed up with being misutilized, and he let it be known. By the end of the summer, Diaw was no longer a Hawk, traded to the Suns along with some draft picks for Joe Johnson.
And in the desert, everything turned around for Boris. He was suddenly surrounded by more talent than he’d ever been around in his NBA career, and the kid they affectionately call Bobo flourished. Maybe it was the open Phoenix offense, maybe it was the work Boris put in on his jump shot, maybe it was having the MVP getting him the rock in places he could be succesful.
Whatever happened, Boris Diaw transformed himself from a guy who’d averaged less than 2 made shots per game over his first two seasons into a complete basketball player, able to score, rebound, pass and defend. And at 24 years old, Diaw has nowhere to go but up. And that goes for our list, too.
65 Responses to “50. Boris Diaw”
Sep.6 at 7:59 pm
Max Airington says:
This is a good idea. Even though you could have just posted the whole list now and let us argue about it until November.
Sep.6 at 8:16 pm
Hype says:
Oh boy.. Myung’s gotta be breaking his keyboard in 12 different pieces about right now.. I agree with BoDi being top 50. He can do a bit of everything. Agile and mobile big man that can run, just needs to be more aggressive when it’s crunch time. He has to want the ball to be in top 10 this season.
Sep.6 at 8:28 pm
Aaron says:
Always tongue in cheek with Boris eh Lang? Glad to see you put him on the list but stop with the negativity. He is working hard and found the right system, case closed…
Sep.6 at 8:29 pm
Hea says:
Walker never had a problem in Atlanta. What do you make this %%%% up?
Sep.6 at 8:57 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Max, what makes you think the whole list is done now? The reason there’s only one guy listed is because there’s only one guy picked. Hopefully, by tomorrow, we’ll have two.
Sep.6 at 9:14 pm
sqwoday says:
top five ball-players of all time? dylon, dylon, dylon, dylon, and dylon.
Sep.6 at 9:31 pm
Noah Doucette says:
man boris is one of the best. He is like d-wade lite lol. and he plays every pos. even the 5…sometimes. i really hope he doent get lost in theshuffle with amare coming back this year. cause if he does he shud come to raps lol.
Sep.6 at 9:36 pm
Dblizzy! says:
Ryan, I guess you missed the part where Lang said you guys sat down and ranked the 50 best players over dinner. Anyway, I agree with Max, we have nothing to compare. All we know is that Boris is 50, that doesn’t really mean anything unless we know whose ranked ahead, or behind him.
Sep.6 at 10:01 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Nah, I’m just calling Lang a liar. With luck, he’ll be up to No. 30 by the All-Star break.
Sep.6 at 11:37 pm
Mike says:
This better not be like the SLAM cover countdown. You guys never finished it, you just stoped.
Sep.7 at 12:47 am
thesubwayconnection says:
Correction for Lang: Toine was not disgruntled in Miami after he won.
Sep.7 at 12:48 am
myung says:
I love Boris Diaw. He’s my favorite player. He should be ranked higher than 50. He’s the man.
The end. Sigh.
I’m on my Sidekick 3, Hype. My thumbs can’t take the punishment. I like how I’ve gained the reputation as the Hawks apologist on this site (along with Lang, of course). It’s sort of flattering, actually.
Sep.7 at 12:56 am
Lang Whitaker says:
Actually, it wasn’t a SLAM cover countdown, it was a SLAM cover count-up, and no, we never finished it. Never said we were going to, either.
Sep.7 at 5:58 am
Santi says:
And believe me, he will be up at 25 by the same time next year!!!
Boris Diaw is the next scottie pippen! Given more years, he can dominate the game like pip
Sep.7 at 6:14 am
matt the jazz fan says:
so are you committing to finishing the top 50?
Sep.7 at 10:18 am
rufai says:
top 5 ballers in the NBA…KOBe, Flash, Lebron, T-mac, A.I.
Sep.7 at 11:24 am
Payneo says:
Is T-Mac still even playing? It’s a coincidence that his career is going the way of Grant Hill’s or Penny’s, I guess the magic didnt rub off on any of them. Three of the best - such a shame.
Sep.7 at 11:35 am
Myung says:
t-mac in your top 5 list is like throwing rosie o’donnell on a top 5 hottest women list. ok…so maybe that’s stretching it…a little. i’m just bitter bc he killed my fantasy team last year. but still…i wouldn’t even put tmac in the top 10 current nba players list. maybe top 5 SCORER in the nba. but top players? no way. i’d take kobe, dwyane, lebron, duncan, garnett, dirk, nash, elton brand, amare, iverson, and a handful of other players over him. what has he done since he’s been in the league (remember, he was drafted in 1997 with duncan, albeit he came straight out of mt. zion and didn’t get much burn his first 2 years)? in 9 years, the guy has… had a couple of nice dunks in some all star games? scored a bunch of points? i never understood people’s infatuation with tracy mcgrady. personally, i’d put him on par with carmelo anthony. i admit mcgrady is one of the top players (meaning top 20) in the league…but i’d never put him among the upper echelon.
Sep.7 at 11:38 am
thomas says:
“I’m confident that in 4
month from now on , you will -at last- acknowledge that Boris
Diaw is a very good player , plain and simple “. See lang , that time has finally came .
Sep.7 at 11:50 am
Sam Rubenstein says:
The list does exist. We were at Outback and Harold Reynolds was there and everything.
Sep.7 at 12:11 pm
Mark says:
I like the concept.
We should be getting a few guys released each day if there are going to be 50 names released over the “next month or so”…
Sep.7 at 12:18 pm
Allen says:
Odds this list gets finished: 2 to 1 And no using previous lists to help!
Sep.7 at 12:37 pm
SWAT says:
1) Kobe
2) LeBron
3) Wade
4) Nash
5) Dirk
6) Yao
7) Carmelo
8) Arenas
9) AK47
10) Chris Paul
Sep.7 at 12:41 pm
Myung says:
being a long time slam reader…i’d figure the list would look something like this… 50. boris diaw
blah
blah
blah
42. dejuan wagner
blah
blah
blah
33. lenny cooke
blah
blah
blah
15. darius miles
blah
5. qyntel woods
4. rafer alston
3. lebron james
2. allen iverson
1. stephon marbury =) you know i love you guys, slam. i figure you guys take jabs at everyone else…so you can take a few licks too.
Sep.7 at 1:00 pm
bryan....from LONDON says:
Boris diaw is only playing well just because steve nash is running the show. I mean who wouldnt score more when playing alongside a guy like nash? remember last season when tim thomas came in after months from not playing a basketball game…and he went knocking down open shots, thats because he plays with steve nash. Boris is an average player.
As for T-mac,he will blow the league this season. All he has to do is to asert himself in the game, and not let Yao slow him down. Yao is good but he aint dominant, chinese people dont have that ‘brutal domination’. Let the T-mac show begin.
Sep.7 at 1:17 pm
thomas says:
bryan , you’re obviously as qualified as a blind rat to talk bball dude .
Sep.7 at 1:19 pm
Myung says:
“chinese people dont have that ‘brutal domination.” sigh. i love getting into sports debates with people, even if i disagree with them. as long as your point is rational and well thought out, i’ll listen. but when you’re this ignorant…what’s the point? i guess all he’s good for is doing math problems, knowing kung fu, and making good dumplings. right.
Sep.7 at 2:11 pm
Pablo Favarel (from Argentina) says:
Boris Diaw? Geez Lang, this french guy sucks.
Sep.7 at 2:14 pm
clowney says:
I check with a Boris’s friend. The meeting with Woodson was more cordial than you write.
Sep.7 at 2:18 pm
Aaron says:
We’ll see how much Boris sucks when he averages 15, 6 and 6 this season.
Sep.7 at 2:26 pm
lennox says:
y doesn’t anyone give timrobot more love. beside kobe and shaq, who has one more rings than he. top 5 kobe, timdog, wade, garnett, lebron. mcgrady should never be in the top 10 r u people on crack or what?
Sep.7 at 2:46 pm
scott says:
1) Dywane Wade
2) Lebron James
3) Tim Duncan
4) Yao Ming
5) Kobe Bryant
6) Dirk Nowitzki
7) Shaquille O’Neal
8) Steve Nash
9) Dwight Howard
10) Chris Paul
Sep.7 at 3:07 pm
albie1kenobi says:
myung, that was hilarious and on point. just because we were taught that humility is a virtue doesn’t mean we don’t know how to dominate. how many foreign players arrive and immediately dominate the league anyway? dirk? no, people laughed at nellie for declaring him rookie of the year. ginobili? pops used to have heart attack with the way he played. point is, it takes a while to adjust to the climate, culture, play style of the NBA. and he’s only 25, which is nowhere near his peak. the way i see how rockets will play is having Yao completely wear down opposing team in the first half; when he runs out of gas (which will happen, it’s tiring to drag a 7′5″ 300+ up and down the basketball court for 40 minutes), let tmac finish up the job. all bets are off if either of them are injured of course. i don’t think Tmac didn’t try to assert himself with Yao on the court, it’s his injuries that completely held him back. let’s hope he’ll really “blow the league this season” instead of blowing his back again. *knock on wood* on a sidenote, isn’t it kinda crazy that tim thomas saved the suns’ season with the 3 in game 6 versus the lakers then went to get a nice contract from clips? wonder if he’s gonna go right back to sleep now.
Sep.7 at 4:03 pm
SchW says:
And the 49th is Stephon Marbury.
He is so incompetent that he will be 2nd in the competition for the most incompetent.
Just a joke fellas.
Sep.7 at 4:03 pm
Kene says:
…i’m still cracking up at Myung’s list. I love SLAM and i’m on this site pretty much everyday, but he’s right. Y’all do tend to buy into the hype from time to time.
Sep.7 at 4:28 pm
Mychal says:
MY TOP 5 PICKS KOBE,KOBE,KOBE….IS NUBMBER 1… WE ALL KNOW THAT.
2. D.WADE IS IN THE HOUSE FLU OR NOT..KOBE WATCH OUT.
3.L.JAME GOTS GAME…JUST NOT MY PICK
4.SHAQ.. WHAT ARE WE GONE DO WITH U
5.S.NASH COLD WHITE BOY..TPT..LOL
Sep.7 at 4:29 pm
Mychal says:
6.I FORGOT ABOUT ALLEN IVERSON HE RAW JUST NEED A TEAM
Sep.7 at 4:31 pm
RedSoxFan says:
Walker was not disgruntled in Boston, NOT in Atlanta and not ever in Miami. If you had to deal with the stuff Antoine had to deal with in Dallas you would be disgruntled too. Slam should check their facts before they make stuff up. Walker wanted to stay in Atlanta and help rebuild the team but he only wanted to do it if Atlanta planned on keeping him. He asked to be traded when they told him he wasn’t part of their future. You would think a magazine such as Slam that was legit would not make obnoxious biased statments like they made above. I have lost all respect for this magazine and do not plan on buying it again.
Sep.7 at 4:47 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
I totally agree.
Sep.7 at 4:59 pm
Hmmm says:
being a long time slam reader…i’d figure the list would look something like this… 50. boris diaw
blah
blah
blah
42. dejuan wagner
blah
blah
blah
33. lenny cooke
blah
blah
blah
15. darius miles
blah
5. qyntel woods
4. rafer alston
3. lebron james
2. allen iverson
1. stephon marbury =) you know i love you guys, slam. i figure you guys take jabs at everyone else…so you can take a few licks too. ———————————————– HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA BURNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!! Actually, that’d be just LANG’S list, doubt any of the guys are as easily influenced as he is. Oh yeah Lang, The Atlanta Hawks suck, face it. Quit defending thier choice to let Boris go when it wasn’t his fault he was stuck in a crappy franchise with a crappy franchise and a fanbase of 200 people.
Sep.7 at 5:15 pm
DBlizzy says:
Reporter: “Antoine, why do you shoot so many 3s?” Antoine: “Cuz they don’t have 4s” Classic Walker, I love it. Anyway, why is everyone bashing T-Mac, when he’s not injured, he’s one of the best in the game. unfortunately he’s injured half the time. And I’m officially going on record as a Dwyane Wade HATER. I know he scores a bunch of points and all, but i don’t think he’s that great of a player. He just goes to the hole wrecklessly and either scores or gets fouled (he’s got the refs in his back pocket), theres really no skill to his game. He can’t shoot like Carmelo, doesn’t see the court like Lebron, he has very basic handle. I just don’t know how he does it. And he’s a nut, did you guys watch the world championships, everytime he touched the rock he shot it! Wade could never pull this shit off… refresh your memories guys. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhbN5lOHZww
Sep.7 at 5:16 pm
SWAT says:
A healthy Duncan would probably push Dirk outta my top 5. And yes, he has been a top 3 talent for years, jus not this past one.
Sep.7 at 6:40 pm
myung says:
Hey, yo, hmmm (nice name). I’m glad you found my post amusing…I appreciate it. But lay off my Hawks, man (or woman). Lang and I don’t act like the Hawks are a great team. But what we are…are loyal fans. There’s a difference between loyal and delusional. The “Diaw” thing…Lang HAS softened his stance some (me, I’m the notorious Boris hater of this site). But as for saying the Hawks suck, thanks for the expert commentary. I’m sure everyone needed to be reminded of that. While we’re at it, let’s throw in the KC Royals, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Portland Trailblazers, and the Cleveland Browns. Lang’s a loyal Hawks fan who’s stuck by them through thick and thin (there’s been a lot of “thin” to stick through). And get it straight…we got 10 fans, not 200. If you’re going to insult us, do your research, dig? And dude that defended T-Mac and killed Wade? I mean…I can understand you defending T-Mac. As much as I don’t like the dude, I still think he’s a good player (just not a top 10 talent). Defending Urkel, I mean, McGrady is one thing…but you lost all credibility when you dogged on Wade in the same comment. You serious? Wow…speechless. Well…not really speechless. Just tired of typing w my thumbs on this tiny keyboard. I’ll let all dwyane’s fans flame you…
Sep.7 at 6:50 pm
scott says:
Dywane Wade has no skill to his game. I am now dumber for having read Dblizzy’s post.
Sep.7 at 7:17 pm
albie1kenobi says:
i hated how wade had the superstar treatment in the finals, to the point where i didn’t want to watch the games. but it’s not his fault that he got all those calls, it’s the damn refs. his game is freaking awesome, i love his smoothness. it’s a little out of control at times (those near travels especially, but i mean bron bron got 2 game winners on travelings in round 1), but the way he attacks tiny gaps and spaces is second to none, possibly better than KB8 because wade has even better body control.
wade had terrible games against germany and greece in WBC, but he finally figured out how the spacing works and came through big time in the argentina game. it was nice watching him attacking the weakspots in the defense and whooped ass.
at this stage, wade’s definitely ahead of bron and melo because he understands the game and reacts to situation a lot better than them. he’s a more cerebral player than both and thus able to utilize his athletic ability better. freaking scary it’s only his 3rd year with many many years ahead of him.
i’m not a wade fan, but i do love his game.
Sep.7 at 8:36 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Seriously, where’s No. 49?
Sep.7 at 9:30 pm
Paolo says:
Ranking today’s 50-best is a nice doze to this boring hoop stretch. For the 50th pick, you seem to put a nice case for Boris Diaw. That starts your rundown with credibility. Unless there are any Knick (Starbury, Jalen, J Crawford) in front of him (that automotically flushes the credibility thing you got going on. Not to dis the Knicks trio, it’s just they are all flash no nothing else. They are like fake jewelry. Looks good but really ain’t worth shit. Unlike Diaw.
Sep.7 at 9:44 pm
Lindsey Hobson says:
i like how everyone has left out t-mac in there top five-ten lists… he didnt do amazing this year but the injury had quite a bit to do with it.
1. AI
2. Nash
3.Lebronze
4.TMac( yall better be ready this season)
5.Ben Wallace
6.81
7.Wade
7.5.Carmelo
8.Bosh
9. KG
10.TD
Sep.7 at 10:39 pm
Someguy says:
Melo better than KG and Duncan? AI better than Bron? I just think Bron is better because he’s more rounded.
Sep.7 at 11:05 pm
Max Airington says:
Place your bets right here ladies and gents. Will this list be finished before Khalid posts ten times? Odds are pretty even….
Sep.8 at 12:00 am
niQ says:
big up boris diaw.. man.. we he first started playing in phx.. he had some good games.. then i picked him up in my fantasy league and DAM.. he suddenly was getting triple double type stats.. and ye..it WAS fun watching his stats..lol.. boris diaw mos def deserved to be on this list
Sep.8 at 7:59 am
Paolo says:
First of all, I’m a Laker-hater. It’s a tragedy that Phil Jackson is one of them. Here is my Top 10: 1. Kobe Bryant - pound for pound, David Stern’s Finest
2. Dwyane Wade - Flash (that ring, DWade!)
3. Kevin Garnett - aside from playing for the Wolves, can you name a weakness? I thought so, too.
4. Lebron James - The Positive side of being called a “‘Tweener.” He’s that good. He’s just not clutch yet.
5. Tim Duncan - Efficiency in silver and black
6. Dirk Nowitzki - A hybrid. From “Soft Uber Dork” to “Dirk the Toughest Matchup”
7. Steve Nash - I hate him. But nobody can run a team like he does.
8. Shaquille O’Neal - What? Leave him out? He is the last guy you’d want to be angry to prove something to someone. He doesn’t handle doubt pretty well. See those rings the Heat are wearing?
9. Dwight Howard - The More Intelligent Amare Stoudemire. Physically, Amare might be a notch higher. But Amare will look so dumb when compared to how they play. Dwight is a machine. Look for the paint to be renamed “Dwight.”
10. Ben Wallace - nobody can change the complexion of the game while taking only 3 shots (all off offensive rebounds) like The New Benny the Bull does. He takes the oxygen out of the opponents’ lungs. 11. Ron Artest - killer on both ends. He learns some from Phil Jackson, he’ll own hardwood.
11. Tracy McGrady - injuries slowed him down. Sure. So watch out when he heals. Remember how he beat the Great San Antonio Spurs by coming up with 13 points in 35 seconds? He’s down. But he’s good enough to challenge Kobe or Dwyane or LeBron. He might even be good enough to be better than them. Everybody knows it. Nobody just wants to say it out loud.
11. Yao Ming - he’ll resurrect the center position because it has been dying with only Shaq to pump some blood into it. When he learns that small thing called anger, he’ll be great. No Carmelo? he’s just Glenn Robinson in a mask and Jordans.
Sep.8 at 1:43 pm
Silky Slim says:
Diaw’s pose is “Miami Vice like” as Rasheed Wallace would say.
Sep.8 at 4:57 pm
DBlizzy says:
Just watch Wade play, really watch. Don’t be blinded by the numbers and the highlight dunks. Just watch as he goes nut, puts his head down and goes to the hole, out of control. Watch as he plays that matador (oh ley) defense. Just watch. If the NBA wasn’t so watered down and soft (thanks Sternbot) he would never last. Back in the day, Mahorn or Laimbeer or Artest would just lay his ass out the first time he came thru the lane and he would stop. They would have to change his commercial to “Fall down 7 times, Get up 6.” He does have a decent pull up jumper though, no range on it but its decent. I didn’t say the kid sucks, he’s a good player. I just think he’s waaaaaaaaaaay overrated.
Sep.8 at 9:28 pm
serbia23 says:
he’s a fairy
Sep.10 at 12:01 am
Reynard says:
These are the players that raised their game to another level this year… 1. Shawn Marion
2. Boris Diaw
3. Tayshuan Prince
4. Michael Redd
5. Ron Artest
6. Chris Paul
7. Carmelo Anthony
8. Pau Gasol
9. Steve Nash
10. Vince Carter
Sep.19 at 5:47 pm
RB says:
My cousin was a towel boy, errr, equipment manager during Mike Woodson’s first season as Hawks coach and he told me that Diaw was Woodson’s whipping boy. Diaw unjustly received many verbal assaults from Coach and Antoine. He’s so happy that BD got out of there and is doing great w/ the Suns. But he’s infuriated that ‘Toine now has a ring with the Heat.
Sep.22 at 11:34 am
Carlos says:
melo should not be ranked higher than arenas ever….melo is overrated yeah he was the best on the olympic team and he had some clutch moments in the regular season but in the playoffs he completly choked…and dont compare gil missin 2 foul shots because without his almost halfcourt 3 the wiz wouldnt it even have made it to ot
Sep.22 at 11:35 am
Carlos says:
when someone does a list about the players that raised their game this past year yet fails to mention the likes of david west or mike james your list goes out the window
Sep.24 at 5:58 pm
Justin H says:
I’m Not So Sure About Diaw. He Hasn’t really played good enough in my mind to be in the top 50. Maybe in the 80’s
Sep.25 at 12:58 pm
Carlos says:
Justin H you obviously did not watch bball..im sick of people giving all the credit to nash for Diaw’s skills. Its an easy way out. Nash helps but Diaw is a brilliant passer(his teamates will back that up, dribbles really well for his size, versatile on D, has an improving jumper, underrated rebounder, and is more explosive than most peeps think. Check out his stats he didnt get near triple dubs on several occasions just because he plays with nash. That man is mos def in the top 50 while boget, bargagni(or whatever), and morrison should not be.
Sep.25 at 1:01 pm
Carlos says:
on a side note guess who led the L in Ally Oops hook ups-no, not nash to marion, not a heat player to wade, not a laker to kobe, not an atl player to j smoove but….drum roll diaw to marion
Oct.7 at 3:28 pm
arnofresh says:
got to agree with carlos… boris is 50. let’s say I’m OK with that. but i’m not with plyares who hadn’t palyed a single minute in the L like morisson or whoever… if you go by those standards will Joakim noah be in the top 20 ? (at least he won a tournament…)
We also should see names like Bodiroga’s. He’s not an NBA player but achieved a lot more than morissson and still play hard on Euroleague…
Oct.11 at 1:25 pm
bdictjames says:
Have you seen the Sixers-Suns game? Boris gained weight, but lost his quickness with it. He still has his trademark drive to the hoop though
Oct.14 at 4:54 pm
drclic says:
Do you watch some games with Boris Diaw ? play-off games too ?
He was the man for Phoenix, the only one who can run the qhos with Nahs on the bench and the only to create mismatch and punish LA, Clippers, Dallas …
He the most coachable man, unselfish player and very smart … He’s not a NBA player, he’s the future of this league ! We don’t want some gangsta diva player … we want a team ! And Diaw is the team-player !!!! on and off the court ! As I said, he’s the kind of player coach dream about … skilled as anyone, athletic, high IQ basketball, energic on defense, etc … Of course he’s on the 50 best and if he confirms, he will reach the top even if his statistic won’t show his importance !