Muggsy Bogues is one of the more inspirational stories in NBA history. Standing at just 5’3″, Bogues is the shortest player ever to play in the NBA, but he still managed to carve out a role for himself in the 1990s. Drafted 12th overall by the Washington Bullets in 1987, Bogues managed to last 14 years in the NBA, and he did remarkably well, all things considered.
He averaged over 10 assists per game twice in his career, and he ranked in the top 7 for assists every single season from 1989 to 1995. It is incredible to think that he managed to perform at such a high level despite the bruising style of play in the 1990s. Some have wondered how well he’d do in the current NBA, and he was asked something along those lines during a Reddit AMA:
“I feel if you ask any player that would say they could play in any era. I appreciate what I was able to do during my time in the league. I do think if I played in 2022 I would do well– the fast game play would fall right into my wheel house”
It is nice to see a former NBA player not completely dismiss the current era like many others tend to do. Bogues is correct in his assessment that he’d do well as the quicker pace of the game would complement his offensive game. He relied on his agility to cause defenses all sorts of problems and he should be able to do that now as well.
The issues would invariably come on the defensive end, as it did back in the day too. Bogues was a pest on defense and did average 1.6 steals per game for his career, but there is only so much one can do at 5’3″. He’d be hunted on switches on almost every play and while Bogues would compete hard, it wouldn’t end well. Despite those limitations, he could still carve out a role as a spark plug off the bench, and considering how the guy built a career on defying expectations, he’d probably be pretty great at it too.
