The evolution of the NBA over the years has been quite jarring and incredible to see. The league ahs switched out from under everyone rapidly, with the 3-point evolution being one of the most significant changes in the last 10 years. Shooting is the ultimate requirement for every team. If you can’t shoot, you can’t win.
There are many old school shooters who were role players at the time but could have been some of the best snipers in the league today. JJ Redick was a shooter in the league as the transition took place, and was asked by Taylor Rooks about the one player he would want to see in the modern era. Redick named Peja Stojakovic.
Someone asked me on Twitter, which player would you wanna see in today’s NBA? I said Peja. Peja is an overlooked legend to me. He would kill in today’s NBA, not that he didn’t during own career. (h/t Taylor Rooks x JJ Redick)
Stojakovic was one of the most prolific 3-point shooters in the early-2000s. He had 8 years in the NBA where he shot over 40%, with him attempting over 6.5 threes a game in 4 of those 8 years. He was an incredible shooter who stood at 6’10”, so he would have been perfect in today’s era. From videos we’ve seen, he can still knock them down.
Would All Old Shooters Have Success In Today’s NBA?
Shooting isn’t an easily definable skill. Old school shooters were ones who could be relied upon most to hit open shots occasionally during the course of a game, as compared to now where teams hunt for open 3-pointers. If those old players can be frenetic off-ball movers that get open and also fight through coverages designed to stop them, then yes.
Naturally, it isn’t a fair comparison as shooters didn’t work on 3-pointers as much as even a role-player in the NBA would today. It’s an inexact science, and that’s what makes inter-generational debates in basketball so compelling.
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