i stand by my claim. come on now u guys train u guys know #1 in the world vs #500 player..... barely has much of a disparity.... its just how elite players are....
I feel what you are saying. That difference is indeed very small when a.... mortal observes it. But when normalized at their level, which is the necessary to asses them, the difference is chaotic.
I'll use a sprinting analogy: Think of Bolt and someone dropping consistent sub 10s at tournaments, but never below 9.9s. What is their difference when we look at them? Minimal, they are both inhuman fast and beasty. But at their level, the difference is humongous, Bolt won't even notice the 9.9x guy exists. Basketball is not that simple as sprinting, but the analogy stands.
PS : In my sprint example used . 9.9x is top 100, not 500 (
https://www.iaaf.org/records/all-time-toplists/sprints/100-metres/outdoor/men/senior ). #500 best time ever is 10.14. Think Bolt/Gatlin/Gay/Powell/Blake, whoever you want, vs a guy with 10.14 PB. That is what #1 vs #500 in world class athletics is.
In any sport, #1 vs #500 live in different universes.