i think we are mostly on the same page, TJ. so you are saying, for a big who can already score, per helps more than lp for a guard who can already score. i think we agree, especially if that guard is a 3 point thread. and for a big who can't score, that per is basically worthless, while 40 lp for a non scoring guard is still worth something. so we agree on that, too. i guess i just think per is more important for offensive bigs in general, because without per, bigs are at best decent in high scoring roles, it seems to me (even in lower divisions, in high end competition - outside high competition, none of this necessarily holds - but like in high d2, i struggled with great ath/lp based bigs, i could never lead a team with one). meanwhile, a guard without lp can be great, efficiency wise, in high scoring roles. that said, almost any guard can use extra lp while a good half of my bigs are non-scoring bigs (more in lower divisions), where 40 per isn't really worth a damn to me. i suppose talking about "bigs" and "guards" is misleading, as that kind of specificity doesn't really get you anywhere on the big stage.
also i do agree with you that per is definitely more important for bigs in d1, where defenses are more staunch. frankly a 90 ath/lp big is a mediocre scorer in high d1, and its kind of ridiculous. to me, its probably the biggest inaccuracy in the game. i mean if you are saying with low per the guy cant make anything but a layup or dunk, i think thats a little tight definition, but if you are going to do that, you have to generate most bigs with some per. to say sub 20 per is normal in bigs, to me implies 90 ath/lp bigs should still be pretty damn dangerous.