"Even..."
Walton paused, then dropped an even more earth-shattering statement. "If one day in the future, the Knicks need him to play shooting guard, or even point guard, I have no doubt that he could still become the best player at that position!"
"Gasp—"
A chorus of sharp intakes of breath rose in the studio.
Kevin Harlan and Marv Albert both stared at Walton in shock. They had been stunned by a claim so bold it was almost absurd.
One person, becoming the greatest ever at all five positions?
The greatest point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, and center in history!
All the same person?
This was no longer as simple as being the Basketball GOAT!
This had gone beyond basketball and entered the realm of myth!
Ernie Johnson stammered, "Bill... isn't that... a little too exaggerated?"
"Exaggerated?"
Walton shot back, "Think about it carefully. Is there anything wrong with it? His height and wingspan are center-level. His strength is center-level. His rebounding and rim protection are historically elite. But his mobility, face-up game, and shooting are also at the level of elite forwards. And are his ball-handling, passing vision, and basketball IQ really any worse than those of the best guards? He just hasn't played those positions before!"
"He's like... like a hexagonal warrior on the court, a perfect player with no weaknesses. There are simply too many positions he can cover. He isn't adapting to positions—the positions are adapting to him!"
"I have every reason to believe that at certain special moments in the future, Li Fei will serve as a team's point guard or shooting guard and continue to display the most dominant level of play!"
Walton's words exploded beside everyone's ears like a thunderclap.
At first, they sounded absurd—but upon further thought, there really