Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett: Why NBA stars of 20 years ago couldn't play in today's game
Garnett was a 15-time All-Star during his playing days
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kevin Garnett was one of the most intense NBA players to have played the game.
Garnett was among the elite trash-talkers and could back it up with the performances he would put up night in and night out. In 21 seasons, Garnett was a 15-time All-Star, averaged 17.8 points and 10 rebounds, was an MVP and won one NBA championship. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Shaquille O’Neal has come under fire for criticizing the new crop of young stars, and Garnett recently added his voice to the debate in an interview with The New York Times saying players of 20 years ago wouldn’t be able to cut it in today’s game. And the difference is the style in play.
"I don't think guys from 20 years ago could play in this game. Twenty years ago, guys used their hands to control players. Now you can't use your hands. That makes defense damn near impossible," Garnett said in an interview published Monday.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"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. The fadeaways, one-leg runners, the one-leg balance shots — that's stuff that Dirk Nowitzki brought to our game."
"And now when I watch Joker play, it feels like he has taken that ‘Dirkness’ and mixed it with his own talent. And Steph Curry revolutionized things with being able to shoot it from distance with such consistency. Klay Thompson. Dame Lillard. These guards changed the game. 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 ACL these days. The game is in a great place."
Garnett is right, in a way.
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NBA teams have used analytics to determine what to do on the basketball court. The three-point shot has become more valuable for some teams while other stars have been able to make the most of drawing fouls and getting to the free-throw line.