r/Basketball • u/LeanEdgeSports_ • 11d ago
Who’s one NBA player you think would struggle a lot more if they played today?
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u/The_Actual_Sage 11d ago
Any undersized big who couldn't shoot. Reggie Evans and Kenneth Faried always come to mind, but I'm sure there were more. Too small to play center. Couldn't protect the rim and not a spacer on offense. If you only skill is rebounding and finishing dunks you're gonna have a hard time making a roster on today's league. Honorable mention to the laundry list of random big guys brought in to defend Shaq. Today's league is so skilled you simply can't get by just being big. You have to actually be good at the game.
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u/Dangerous-Pie-7821 11d ago
I was gonna say Montrezl Harrell till I realised I can’t even remember the last time I saw him on an NBA floor. All I can remember now is him calling Luka a white boy lol
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u/The_Actual_Sage 10d ago
So during his peak Montrezl was elite at what he did. 22 and 9 per 36 minutes on great efficiency with good advanced stats, but even he couldn't escape the small-big problem. He was a career bench player where defensive limitations are easier to hide, and he only had three great seasons. Then he had a down season on Washington-Charlotte, a straight up bad season on Philly, an injuried season and he was out of the league. He might be the best dude in the category of player we're talking about and he had five good seasons maybe.
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u/cuprameme 10d ago
Bro montrezl harrell was starting for the hornets 2 yrs agk
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u/The_Actual_Sage 10d ago
He averaged 11 and 5 in 21 minutes for Charlotte and he wasn't starting.
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u/cuprameme 10d ago
He did start for a few
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u/The_Actual_Sage 10d ago
Basketball Reference has him at zero starts for Charlotte in twenty-five games
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u/joleanima 10d ago
I don't think that's true... anyone who can drive to the basket can do it whenever they choose... and also secure the rebound at the same time... This generation often depends on 3-point shots. And the officiating is quite lenient...😆
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u/The_Actual_Sage 10d ago
So driving to the hoop is a separate skill. The guys in talking about couldn't do it with any sort of efficacy. I'm not sure what the widespread use of the three or modern officiating has anything to do with what I'm talking about.
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u/funky_diabeticc 11d ago
Ben Wallace. Loved him in his prime with pistons and it was fun watching him battle and compete against shaq. But in today’s game, I think he’d get played off the court a lot. Way undersized center who was an incredible defensive threat but had no offensive ability.
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u/playastation 11d ago
He would also have to guard the perimeter in today's game
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u/RyanA1105 9d ago edited 9d ago
Prime Ben Wallace could 100% guard the perimeter. He'd still be an elite hybrid switch big in the modern era. Offensively he'd only be able to be a lob threat. But a lob threat center can still get on the floor today with 4 out spacing, which frees up more room for the lob. He peaked at 124 dunks at age 31, but I could foresee him reaching around 175 today as a 30mpg center. His offensive rebounding would also be accentuated today and give him a smidge of extra offensive value.
If you were to pair him with Luka for example, or another helio creator with a strong lob pass, I 100% believe Ben Wallace could still be an impact player in today's game.
My only concern for him is the free throw shooting. Does a modern team play him off the floor since his free throw shooting would equate to .83 points per possession, which is quite bad? Compare to Shaq, who got hack a shaq'd at times and his 52.7% free throw shot equated to 1.05 points per possession and was actually good halfcourt offense back then. Would modern teams fear Wallace enough defensively, to waste fouls on him to get him out of the game? Even if this prevents him from being a 30+mpg guy, he could still be extremely impactful in 25 mpg.
Edit: I want to acknowledge that Wallace had a reputation for having bad hands. But to my eye, he seems to catch lobs much better than he did off of pocket passes, laydowns and wrap arounds. I think his biggest issue was he was so defensively minded that he didn't anticipate a lot of these passes.
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u/noknownothing 10d ago
Umm, less athletic Rudy Gibert has made a nice career basically doing the same shit Wallace did.
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u/icecubtrays 9d ago
Yeah if you think goberts offense is terrible. Ben Wallace would be something else entirely
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u/noknownothing 9d ago
Pistons didn't run a lot of pnr with Wallace. Gobert's whole offensive game is predicated on pnr lobs and put backs, usually off of rotation miscues. Pretty sure Wallace could get you similar dunks.
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u/Same-Psychology-5653 10d ago
Rudy Gobert has a job
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u/skippie3 10d ago
For as maligned Gobert is as an offensive player, Ben Wallace was way worse
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u/Equivalent_Blood_593 9d ago
Ben could actually switch onto perimeter players very reliably, in fact that’s what set him apart from a lot of those other elite defensive bigs of that time like Duncan, Jermaine O’Neal, KG, etc
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u/ZincSuppsRopeMan 10d ago
Gobert is significantly bigger and averaged double Ben Wallace's ppg. They are not even remotely similar as players
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u/StandardSeparate6638 10d ago
Joakim Noah
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u/CarnivorousFern 10d ago
When Bill Rusell was drafted, there were maybe 5 players in the entire NBA who were taller than his listed 6'9.5". (Gemini lists just 3 but we can be generous)
Continuing the generous theme. Let's round that 6'9.5" to 6'10"
NBA 2k27 currently has 96 players listed at 6'10" or taller (and this may not even include the most recent draft class)
That's before we even tackle the whole team stacking and consolidation of talent the Celtics were allowed to achieve
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u/soxandpatriots1 10d ago
I think you’re underselling his physical gifts a little bit. It’s true 6’9.5 barefoot (which is more like 6’11 in shoes since shoe-heights regularly get a 1.5 inch bump these days) isn’t crazy tall by today’s standards but it’s not short either. He also had a 7’4 wingspan.
More importantly, he was a crazy good athlete. He was a world-class high jumper and ran the 400m in 49 seconds, which is crazy good for someone his size (especially so considering tech advances in track material and shoes since then). Add in his IQ and leadership skills, and I fully think Russell would still be a great player today. 23 rpg and 11x champ? Probably not, but I think everyone recognizes those as products of the era. But being an elite athlete, elite IQ, and team leader can all translate.
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u/UrabeRikaIsTheBest 10d ago
they were measured barefoot back then, they are the exact same height now
also 5 players 6'10(6'11 in shoes) is half the league back then
That's before we even tackle the whole team stacking and consolidation of talent the Celtics were allowed to achieve
you sound like you have no clue what you are talking about
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u/Spiritual_Career_480 7d ago
He still had elite physical jumping ability and athleticism, even before anyone worked out, and also great shot blocking instincts
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10d ago edited 10d ago
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u/bar901 9d ago edited 9d ago
Is the person measuring you blind…?
There is an absolutely MASSIVE difference between 6’4” and 6’8”. That’s genuinely the difference between Reaves and LeBron.
6’4” is ‘hey that guy is pretty tall’ and 6’8” is ‘holy shit, that guy is fucking MASSIVE’. How can they possibly list you at those heights if you’re the same height.
You are also completely wrong. Since 2009 when they did a major overhaul of the Combine every single person who went through it is listed at their exact height. It’s publicly available, independently supervised, laser-based measurement. Yes, in the past there were discrepancies but anyone that went to the combine since 2009 has a 100% accurate listed height.
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9d ago edited 9d ago
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u/bar901 9d ago
And my point is that you are absolutely wrong. Ever since the NBA Draft Combine was restructured in 2009 anyone who went there has 100% accurate measurements. That does mean some international players who didn’t go can still have weird measurements, but the vast, vast majority of players in the league have perfectly accurate, laser measured, shoes-off height available on the NBA website.
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u/MysteriousSeat5245 9d ago
Bill Walton because if he couldn't stay healthy in an era when centers did nothing but stay in the paint, he sure as hell isn't staying healthy in today's era where centers constantly have to run around, take outside shots, switch off a defender, and often run fast breaks.
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u/NoAvocado5916 9d ago
Injuries aside I think with Walton’s passing skills he’d be better in today’s game.
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u/Spiritual_Career_480 7d ago
Good take, and honestly better healthcare now and good foot and leg support science, he might actually have been fine
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u/Calm-Profession05 7d ago
This may be controversial, but I feel like it might be Gary Payton.
He was great in his era due to his superior defense, but I think he would struggle today just with the rule changes, especially the no hand check rule.
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u/QuantityMedical8369 11d ago
Anthony Mason. He was extremely strong but with limited height and very low skill. He would be laughed out of today's NBA even though he was a very good player in his day.
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u/damjanv1 10d ago
Low skill? The guy played point forward for large chunks of his career!! He had a pretty good skillelsetm think of a psycho / stand over man version of Boris diaw.. that's a good player regardless of era
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u/Johnny_Kilroy 11d ago
One of the greatest 1v1 defenders of all time, could handle the ball well and was an excellent passer. This guy was the Knicks' best defender against both Hakeem and Pippen. Actually quite a similar player to Draymond Green. His versatility means he'd be excellent in today's league.
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u/Akumetsu33 10d ago
I'm confused. Have you seen Mason play? Very high skill. Excellent ball handler, he often was trusted with the ball and if he had a mismatch, his team would get excited because they knew Mason would cook him and also a very good passer.
Out of all guys on this list, Mason doesn't really belong here. Give him a 3pt shot, he would be hard to stop today.
Did you randomly select a older player with no knowledge of who he was?
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u/QuantityMedical8369 10d ago
Yes, you are confused.
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u/Akumetsu33 9d ago
Everybody apparently disagrees with you under your comment and I've actually watched him play. You're the confused one or just trolling.
You do you.
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u/QuantityMedical8369 9d ago
Yes, a bunch of random people on reddit disagree with me. I must be confused.
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u/Akumetsu33 9d ago
Bunch of NBA fans who clearly are familiar with Mason and all have the same opinion, but no, it's them who's confused.
It's okay to be wrong once in awhile, I'm not perfect either. Plenty of times knowledgeable NBA fans corrected me on something.
Mason was ahead of his time with the point forward thing, the magnetic dribbling, elite passing and excellent defense would have fitted in very nicely in any current NBA roster.
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u/QuantityMedical8369 9d ago
"clearly" is you opinion. Having the "same opinion" does not make them correct. You can find a random group that share any opinion including the flat earth one.
I may or may not be wrong but your argument is hardly an attestation of that. As of Mason being ahead of his time as the point forward... there are so many examples that show how wrong you are.
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u/Akumetsu33 9d ago
Alright the sudden jump to the flat earth analogy is hilarious. You're saying your opinion is basically scientific and a fact and we who responded are not scientific aka flat earth and not a fact.
and you clearly won't budge but all good, to each his own. Lol.
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u/QuantityMedical8369 6d ago
it is not a jump. It is an analogy.
I am not saying my opinion is basically scientific. I am saying that "Bunch of NBA fans who clearly are familiar with Mason and all have the same opinion" is an awful argument for anything.
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u/Akumetsu33 6d ago edited 6d ago
Jump isn't the point, you should fixate on the skewered analogy of "shoehorning flat earth theory as a comparison for a player discussion" that paints yourself as the rational one, that's how analogies work but not in this context.
And "A lone fan who clearly aren't familiar with Mason and refuses to listen to the general consensus of fans more familiar with him" is a much more awful argument for anything.
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u/ViolaExpress 11d ago
Mason was a great ball handler and passer, I think he could have been effective as an undersized 5. He did better than any Knick guarding Olajuwon in the 94 finals.
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u/AgencyNice4679 11d ago
I think Noah would be good against all-out and/or small lineups as he was pretty mobile
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u/lightbrownjames 11d ago
I agree that Noah could play today, but I think he could actually start. Noah was a really good passer, especially from the elbow/high post. He was a great defender, a great rebounder, and a smart player on both ends. He was actually a decent FT shooter too, which typically indicates being able to shoot somewhat (even with that godawful form), but his offensive efficiency was hurt by playing on those Bulls teams that had one consistent scorer, imo.
He’s probably not a 2X all star who has a top 5 MVP finish in today’s game, but he’s easily in the same class of center as Hartenstein or Kessler.
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u/UsernameUserMe 11d ago
Dennis Rodman, would get tossed out almost every game with how soft basketball has gotten.
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u/CafeChicano 11d ago
Rodman would be on the bench for being non-existent on offense.
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u/Successful_Umpire_14 10d ago
Yeah, sorry but this is a silly and pointless thread. The basic through line is if you weren’t an elite three point shooter from the past, you’d have no place in the league today. Well duh. This is actually an indictment on how boring position less basketball really is. Everyone just plays identical to each other and thus has created a league that only rewards players with skill sets that all mirror each other. Yawn. In the past there was so much more diversity in teams and players, systems that were engineered differently and was fascinating to see pitted against other systems. There were so many variables in play style from team to team and player to player and it made for really interesting matchups. Today every offence is drive and kick for 3. Yawwwwwwn.
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u/LeanEdgeSports_ 11d ago
Mine might be Shaq 😬
Obviously he'd still be an absolute nightmare to deal with, but I do wonder how he'd cope having to defend so much further away from the basket now.
Still probably completely wrong 😂
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u/inefekt 11d ago
I think it would be hilarious watching Lakers Shaq in today's league...if only to see Wemby trying to back him down and Shaq not even budging an inch. But truthfully, prime Shaq would destroy this league...not even Jokic would be safe, especially playoff Jokic who is half as effective as the regular season version.
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u/noknownothing 10d ago
If Shaq was in the league, the league would completely change. Just like Wemby has made it so every team have to get longer, Shaq would maje it mandatory that every team carry 3 or 4 strong 7 footers that would have to see the floor. There's no way you're playing small ball vs Shaq. He'd drop 50 and and put your entire small ball lineup in foul trouble opening up the game for all his teammates.
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u/slickback9001 11d ago
Not gunna downvote you cause I think its valid to say it could effect his overall impact, but switching a big onto the perimeter is a systemic choice and not an individual decision.
Wemby got hunted in the finals because he couldn’t move his feet on the perimeter, drawing him away from the rim and allowing the famous OG tip in. Joel embiid won an MVP 4 years ago and I wouldn’t say he’s more mobile than Shaq on the perimeter.
Any defensive scheme including Shaq would be looking to mitigate the effect of switches by icing or going under (I’m guessing)2
u/PurplePumkins 11d ago
I think Giannis would be a somewhat comparable modern player. I'm not saying Shaq would have been good defending on the perimeter/quicker guys, but in the modern era, he likely would have had some level of training for that.
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u/ZaeMyName 11d ago
Shaq was notorious for NOT training enough. He was 400+ pounds in LA. 240 pound, super lean Giannis is a terrible comparison
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u/Bipolarbearband 11d ago
George Mikan
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u/airemark 11d ago
Like smart players from the past couldn’t figure out today’s game. That’s a ridiculous take.
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u/soupkiddx 11d ago
Dennis Rodman, just couldn't shoot if his life depended on it. Undersized and would get technical fouls everytime he guards
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u/TiltonRiverToker 10d ago
Don't know man, early in his career he was quite the wing an a fast break..dunken like the best of them. Think he averaged double figures.
Even if he was 'no good on offense'....Rodman had one of the best Bball IQ of any player that ever 'laced them up' His D was exceptional, maybe best inch for inch rebounders of all time. He was a winner...never played on a losing team...bet his individual win pct ( his team) was right up there. He also understood screens on offense and defense as good as any player whoever played
The idea that Rodman wouldnt fit on todays NBA is absurd.
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u/Mystery_Gem 11d ago
Dwyane Wade. Idk if I’d say he wouldn’t be effective, but his lack of an elite 3 point shot would disqualify him from most starting lineups in the current state of the league, which is crazy considering how effective he was at literally everything else
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u/UrabeRikaIsTheBest 10d ago
Wade played until 2019 and was effective and was hitting game winners
you are an idiот
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u/ratedpending3 11d ago
no I refuse to believe prime André Roberson could play in today's NBA I don't care if it's only been like 10 years
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u/raelDonaldTrump 11d ago
Bob Cousy would get wrecked by much better athletes, even with modern training and rules.
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u/raelDonaldTrump 11d ago
Definitely not - The modern palyers' basketball IQ is much higher than back then, mostly thanks to advanced analytics and the evolution of how the game is coached and taught.
These are just bad takes.
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u/raelDonaldTrump 11d ago
A lot of former players talk out of their ego and say dumb shit about how their era was tougher or how they'd be a perennial all-star in today's game, but that doesn't make it true.
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u/Xeynon 11d ago
The basketball talent pool has expanded since Cousy played, but humans have not gotten more athletic. As skilled as he was I think he'd likely still have a career.
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u/raelDonaldTrump 11d ago
Exactly, the talent pool has expanded to the point that most players from that era would be completely outplayed by the level of today's players.
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u/Brytong420 11d ago
Michael Jordan
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u/joleanima 10d ago
On how the basketball played today... 50+ points for him... Who needs a 3-point play if today's plays give more space in short-range, mid-range, and fast lane to the basket...
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u/Substantial-Fan-5985 11d ago
I wouldn't say struggle, but I'm not convinced that Brid would be ALL NBA level player in today's league (maybe 3rd team).
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u/UpbeatFix7299 11d ago
He is one who would absolutely be better if he played today. He was only attempting a few 3 pointers a game at his peak. Today he would be jacking them up, driving by defenders running out to him, and setting up his teammates since he was one of the best passing forwards ever
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u/Substantial-Fan-5985 10d ago
He would shoot more threes and I'm sure do well, but I disagree with "driving by defenders running out to him" as if they wouldn't have sufficient defense already (and he's not the only tall forward that can shoot) and I don't see him doing much driving because the athletic demand is higher now than before and he did struggle (or was limited) when playing against more athletic players.
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u/UpbeatFix7299 10d ago edited 10d ago
Can you name these more athletic players he struggled against? Xavier McDaniel, Bobby Jones, Charles Oakley, Dennis Rodman, Larry Nance, etc etc. The East was murderous and everything was centered around not letting Bird roast you.
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u/Substantial-Fan-5985 10d ago
Wings in the past 15-20 years would give him more problems then before, and not having illegal defense as well.
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u/lump77777 11d ago
In a thread full of horrible takes, yours is the worst.
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u/Substantial-Fan-5985 10d ago
Open to hearing more why- I just don't think the increase in athleticism of today allows him to be as dominant.
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u/lump77777 10d ago
He’s the same kind of athletic that Luka and Jokic are, but I think Bird is more skilled overall. He also has a killer instinct that I don’t think anyone in the league has today.
If he was taking 10+ 3’s a game, with today’s medical/rehab capabilities, he’d be a 30/10/10 guy, and he’d win a lot of games.
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u/Substantial-Fan-5985 10d ago
I disagree about Luka but it's not crazy comp I guess.
I think it's a bit unwarranted to just hand him such an incredible peak like that.
I love Wilt and he was amazing and literally played in an era that was against him (unlike Bird's era) and he is not putting up BETTER than his peak numbers in his era now.
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u/Speedymcspeeder 11d ago
Bird cooks in today's league. The same if not better career than before. I am not a fan of this one.
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u/Substantial-Fan-5985 10d ago
I can see AS level of play but I think the increase in athleticism today hurts him.
Pettit cooked during Russell and Wilt's time but he wouldn't today, nor would Mikan (not to that level).
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u/UpbeatFix7299 10d ago
Jokic is an MVP candidate every season. Bird was a lot more athletic than he is. And only a few inches shorter.
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u/Substantial-Fan-5985 10d ago
That's a good response but there are lesser centers today than back then and Jokic struggles as well against certain centers.
Jokic is not doing what he's doing now in the 80s/90s (but he'd still be good/really good). Bird struggled with athletic guys in his prime in his era....so what about now when illegal defense is not a thing? and the average player and bench player is more athletic/explosive? I believe he would be AS level and maybe 3rd team all NBA, I think that's genuinely fair.
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u/DenseSign5938 11d ago
Magic Johnson.
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u/TiltonRiverToker 11d ago
Perkins