Originally Posted by jericho

I agree, he might have. And his lower-than-ideal shooting percentages wouldn't have been unusual. But again, this question of "most important" isn't about cross-era comparisons.

And I assume the game will continue to evolve. I don't consider Iverson a revolutionary or pioneer, because I don't see him as having had a lasting effect on how the game is played or perceived. I would say he was at the forefront of a recent trend toward high-scoring combo guards (or "scoring" point guards) having free reign as their team's first option on offense. Baron, Marbury, and Arenas all come to mind. But I think that trend is already in reverse as its limitations become obvious...now every rebuilding team wants a Chris Paul or Deron Williams.