Getty Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and head coach Jason Kidd at the American Airlines Arena in Miami.
A long-standing debate amongst hoops fans is if today’s generation of NBA players could survive in the old NBA and vice versa. It is a subject that is worth taking a gander at from both sides of the spectrum. While the NBA in the ’80s and ’90s was much tougher with no hand-checking and a “no blood, no foul” mentality, the athletes of today’s NBA are much bigger, faster, and have much more versatile skillsets. 2020 Hall of Famer and former Brooklyn Nets forward, Kevin Garnett recently weighed in on the debate in an interview with the New York Times and he did not hold back.
Kevin Garnett Sounds off on Today’s NBA
“I want you to get on a court, sprint corner to corner, stop on a dime and shoot a 3. I want you to do 10 of those. Then I want you to focus on how tired you are. Because these players do that for 48 minutes. I don’t think guys from 20 years ago could play in this game,” Garnett told David Marchese of the New York Times. “Twenty years ago, guys used their hands to control players. Now you can’t use your hands. That makes defense damn near impossible. Can you imagine not hand-checking Michael Jordan? Naw. The fact that you can’t touch players gives the offensive player so much flexibility. Defensive players have to take angles away and stuff like that. But if you have any creativity and ambition, you can be a great offensive player in this league.”
Karl Malone Sounds off on Zion Williamson
While Garnett makes some valid points, there are parts of what he said that are debatable. It is indeed necessary for players to be in incredible shape to survive in today’s league. However, that is not the case for all players. In addition, there was no load management in the old NBA. Former Utah Jazz forward and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Karl Malone chimed in on the subject as it pertains to New Orleans Pelicans’ forward, Zion Williamson. “Zion needs to get into shape. If he don’t get in shape, we might not ever know his full potential.” Malone said during a recent appearance on the Knuckleheads podcast via Newsweek. “I’m still waiting on him to play the whole damn season. News flash: We still waiting. And he needs to be averaging 40 minutes a game. Look here, you’re a 21-, 22-year-old kid—your ass shouldn’t get tired.”
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Garnett also touched on the incredible talent coming out of the backcourt in today’s league. It is possible that we are in the Golden age of point guards. “Steph Curry revolutionized things with being able to shoot it from distance with such consistency. Klay Thompson. Dame Lillard. These guards changed the game,” Garnett said. “I don’t know if even the guards from 20 or 30 years ago could play in this time right here. It’s creative. It’s competitive. It’s saucy. You’ll get dropped! A [expletive] will cross you over and break your A.C.L. these days. The game is in a great place.”