5 Retired NBA Players Perfectly Suited for Today’s Game

The NBA has had more than a fair share of changes during its 73 year history.

Everything changes from coaching systems to styles of play. For example, in the 60’s, there was one big guy doing most of the work (eg: Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell). Teams would run the game plan through the big man because they were the biggest person on the court.

As the 70’s came along, still a lot of the same strategies with the big man, but the guard position was evolving. Players like Jerry West and “Pistol” Pete Maravich were showing that outside scoring is critical to winning.

Once the 80’s came in, the whole NBA world was flipped on its head. Magic Johnson made the word “showtime” come into fruition with the Lakers. Larry Bird also showed his all around game, which many players try to compare their games with now. The 90’s were the age of toughness, physicality as well as isolation ball. Michael Jordan had a triangle system, which means he got the ball in 1 on 1 situations most of the time and other teams followed suit.

The 2000’s still continued this strategy but were introduced to the 7 second offense by Mike D’Antoni, which ultimately had Steve Nash and the Suns shocking the NBA with this style of play. In the 2010’s though, a man named Stephen Curry changed the league by the 3 point shot and spacing, which every team must have now in order to be a contender. However, as time goes on, many players who were great in the past would be even better with these systems today. There are 5 players who would be even better in the NBA today, than in their respective times.

Mark Price

Mark Price is one of the most underrated players in NBA history. He is 1 of 8 players in NBA history to hit the 50-40-90 club. Price had career averages of 15.2 points, 6.7 assists and 2.6 rebounds. In today’s game though, there is one play that gets used every single possession. The pick and roll. This play is where the ball handler calls the big man to set a screen, and the point guard could do 3 main things. Go to the basket, shoot the ball or pass the ball to someone who is open. Mark Price, perfected this move throughout his career, which allowed him to be a 4 time all-star. Even though he was great, people say in today’s NBA you need athleticism in order to have a chance. Even though he lacks in athleticism and size standing at a generous 6’0 and 175lbs, the shooting touch is unquestioned. Mark Price shot for his career had a 40.2% from 3 point territory and averaged roughly 7 assists with no real pick and roll partner. With the way the league is now, Mark Price would be even better with his court vision and his shooting ability with the spacing in today’s game.

 

 

“Pistol” Pete Maravich

The pistol was the ultimate swiss army knife in terms of skill on a basketball court. To start, he averaged an insane 44.2 points a game during his 4 years of college. What is most impressive is that Maravich did all of this without a three point line in place. No one really knows what his numbers would be if that addition was put in place.

Even though his scoring ability is up with the best, the theatrics he displayed were truly magnificent. The “Pistol” would do behind the back passes, dribbles through defenders legs’ and all of these moves that no one would think about doing in an NBA game. Maravich was a product of a different time. If he was in the NBA now, the “Pistol” would be making his defenders look silly. Maravich would be playing chess as everyone would be playing checkers. The variety of moves that the “Pistol” had in his arsenal were totally surrea{“type”:”block”,”srcIndex”:11,”srcClientId”:”93f3abe7-b376-4420-9f81-a4c08bce40dc”,”srcRootClientId”:””}l and way beyond the era in which he was playing. The scoring ability, especially from deep range and his theatrics would let him thrive in the NBA today.

Mitch Richmond

Mitch Richmond was a truly great player. He averaged 21 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Even though these numbers do not seem too exceptional, Richmond was a pure shot creator. He could make shots off the catch and shoot, off the pick and roll, coming off of a screen or even spotting up. These shots were made consistently, as he shot 45.5% from the field and 38% from 3 point range for his whole career. For 9 seasons, Richmond averaged more than 20 points, using the three as well as the mid-range and attacking the basket. He also shot above 35% from three for 9 seasons as well. Mitch was definitely built as a scoring machine, and was he ever good at that. The problem with guarding Mitch then was that he score in any way. If there was good inside defense, he would take a jump-shot. Many of the shots that were attempted were not easy and the degree of difficulty was through the roof. If the shot was not falling, he would get to the basket and finish strong. The combination of athleticism and skill made him very deadly then, and would be even more devastating now in the game today.

Joe Dumars

Joe Dumars was the perfect complimentary piece to Isiah Thomas during the Pistons run in the 90’s. He filled his role perfectly. Dumars could space the floor with the three point shot, take the weight off Thomas’s shoulders with handling the ball and most importantly, play defense. He made the all defensive first team 4 times and the all defensive second team once. Also, Dumars was a 6 time all star during his time with the Pistons. The NBA now plays a lot of spacing and with pace and Dumars would be fantastic during the NBA now. He can get more looks due to the additional spacing that will be present and he can play off the ball. The 3 and D player is essential for any team to have, and Joe Dumars would fill that role beautifully in today’s NBA.

Detlef Schrempf

Detlef Schrempf was a very interesting player for his time. He was a 6’10 forward, he could play the power forward or small forward spot. The most intriguing part of his game would be how well rounded it was. Schrempf could pass the rock, rebound well and score with ease. The three time all-star was a huge problem to deal with on the court. Many of the players on this list could score from all three levels and Schrempf was no different. He won the sixth man of the year consecutively, the 1991 and 1992 awards respectively. In the 1992-1993 season, Schrempf was the only player to post top 25 in scoring (19.1), rebounding (9.5) and assists (6.0). The all around game was ahead of his time, as he was selected to the all-star game three times in his career. Despite this, Detlef Schrempf would be a monster in today’s NBA because of how polished his all around game is and how he can score from all three levels on the basketball court.