The NBA is a league where the shadow of past figures loom large. Discussion of great players and comparison to modern stars is constant. The game has changed a tremendous amount in the past decade-plus, and it’s interesting to think about how some of those NBA legends might fit into the current state of the game. Here’s a list of players who would still be great, and some who wouldn’t experience the same degree of success.
Which NBA legends have what it takes to play in today’s game and which ones will falter?
Dominate: Michael Jordan
His Airness would be great in any time period. The greatest scorer of all time, Jordan would always be a bucket. In the current game he would score even more, in fact. With the offensive-based rule changes that send players more readily to the line, Jordan would get many more chances to go to the charity stripe and score even more points. Plus, in a league where players are more encouraged to shoot the three, and offenses are even designed around it, Jordan would get more opportunities to rack up points from beyond the arc. We’d love to see what he could do.
Struggle: Charles Barkley
Barkley is a classic case of a player who succeeded in a different era. The league is so much larger than it was during his tenure, so his back-to-the-basket style of play would not be as effective with multiple seven-footers ready to lock him up on any team. Barkley also was a terrible shooter; he took a shocking 2,020 three-pointers in his career to the tune of 26.6% from beyond the three-point line. In an era where jump shooting is paramount, and every team has a massive big to defend the paint, Barkley would not fit in at all.
Dominate: Larry Bird
Bird has the exact skill set for the modern game. The NBA legend’s elite passing ability and vision on the floor would let him run any type of modern offense. He already is one of the best transition players ever and would only be better in offenses that focus on transition scoring. As we know, Bird was a tremendous shooter. He only took 1.9 threes per game in his career; in the modern game, you’d have to think that number would at least double, if not triple. With more scoring opportunities, and more offenses tailored to his shooting ability, Bird would be even better than he was in the 80’s.
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Struggle: Isiah Thomas
Thomas was elite on the Bad Boy Pistons, winning multiple championships and five appearances on all NBA squads. However, we’re not sure his game would work in the modern era. Isiah could not shoot, not only was he under 30% from three from his career, but he also didn’t really have a mid-range game either. With the changes to foul rules and what the defense can do, his hard-nosed style of play would not be as valuable either. Sure, his passing and ability to run an offense would mean he’d probably still be a starter, but not the Hall of Famer he was in the 80’s.
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Dominate: Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt the Stilt was one of a kind. His scoring ability was unrivaled in his era, with the iconic 100-point game and a season where he averaged 50 points. The key thing that would make Wilt elite in the modern era is his athleticism. Wilt was a decathlete in college. In the modern run-and-gun game, he would be an unstoppable force in transition and would have the ability to defend almost any position in a more fluid zone and switch-based defenses. While the three-point line did not exist during Wilt’s tenure, we’re not sure how much that would hurt him, considering the NBA legend could score in the mid-range. Wilt would probably look a little like Giannis in the modern era.
Struggle: Allen Iverson
Iverson was one of the best scorers of the 2000s. He’s a Hall of Famer and legendary player. However, the game has passed players like him bye. The answer was able to put up a ton of points, however he only shot 42% for his career, and only 31% from three. He was a complete defensive liability who would be targeted by every offense he played against in the modern game. He’d likely be relegated to sixth man spark plug role in the current game, where his offensive talents would be more appreciated, but he could be hidden on defense.
Dominate: Oscar Robertson
Roberston was the original complete player. The first, and for the entire 20th century the only, player to average a triple double, that skill is translating to the new millennium. Robertson would slot right into any offense with his ridiculous athleticism, vision and rebounding ability. Sure, shooting wasn’t as relevant in his era, but we’re thinking the rest of his game might make up for that liability. The Big O would dominate in any era.
Struggle: Magic Johnson
Like Isiah, Magic was a pass-first guard who couldn’t really shoot. Despite his huge size, the NBA legend wasn’t an elite defender either. Without the ability to shoot the three or be a lockdown defender, the role of a player like Magic is not exactly huge in the modern NBA. It’s almost blasphemous to claim the ring leader of the Showtime Lakers couldn’t hack it in the current game, but looking at his skill set, it’s hard to see where he fits on a modern team.
Dominate: Walt Frazier
Walt Frazier is now known for his emphatic rhyming color commentary alongside Mike Breen and his stylish dress in the booth. However, “Clyde” was a prototypical complete guard in his two-time NBA Championship career. Walt could do it all: score, pass, rebound, and defend. Despite coming into the league before the three-point line, Frazier was a great jump shooter, and that part of his game would continue to play today. A highly athletic complete guard will play in any era, and with the ice-cold game and flamboyant personality, Frazier would excel in the modern era.
Struggle: Bill Russell
Russel is the Ring King. However, he played in an era where there were eight teams, and he was over a foot taller than virtually everyone else in the league. His defense would undeniably play in any era. However, Russel wasn’t exactly an elite scorer, even in his own time. In an era where his size advantage would be nullified, he’d become more akin to Rodman or a bigger Draymond Green than a guy that is on the 75th Anniversary team. Russell wouldn’t be bad in the modern era, he just would not be anywhere the same as he was in the 50’s and 60’s.
