NBA insider and ESPN analyst Brian Windhorst raised eyebrows with his recent comments on Allen Iverson. During an appearance on First Take, Windhorst claimed Iverson would be heavily criticized if he played today, as he just “chucked a lot of shots.”
“If A.I. played today, he would be heavily criticized,” Windhorst said. “He would be way more heavily criticized about his style of play than he was then, because he was a low-efficiency player… If you go look at the way he played, he played a lot of minutes and just chucked a lot of shots. And if 41 percent of them went in, it was considered a good job. That would not fly in today’s game… The year that A.I. won the MVP, he averaged 26 shots for 31 points.”
To say Windhorst’s take wasn’t a popular one would be an understatement. Former NBA stars blasted him for it and defended Iverson.
Carmelo Anthony: “They will always find a way to discredit.”
Rip Hamilton: “This has to be a joke! Please stop the buffoonery! Al would of been Al in any got damn era.”
Rod Strickland: “Please understand the difference between basketball knowledge and entertainment. Why are we giving so much time to non-basketball people? AI would be AI in any era. Would he take as many shots, maybe, maybe not. But all you have to do is look at his skill set and it’s OBVIOUS what kind of impact he would have in today’s game.”
Matt Barnes: “Smh these hot takes for attention are getting ridiculous.”
Dion Waiters: “Smh AI would be unstoppable in today’s game!!! Point blank my GOAT.”
Former NFL star LeSean McCoy: “SMH ….. if you can’t do push-ups or sit-ups you can’t have opinions on athletes on TV.”
Windhorst went a step too far there. His comments just give more credence to the sentiment that those who did not play sports at a high level shouldn’t comment on it.
How Many Points Would Allen Iverson Average In Today’s NBA?
This whole conversation was a result of Iverson claiming he would average 43 points per game in today’s NBA. Would he be able to pull that off? Well, let’s have a look at what he actually accomplished in his Hall of Fame career.
Iverson averaged 26.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 2.2 steals per game for his career while shooting 42.5% from the field and 31.3% from beyond the arc. The 11-time All-Star also averaged 41.1 minutes per game, which ranks fourth all-time, with only Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Oscar Robertson ahead of him.
Iverson also won four scoring titles and was crowned MVP in 2000-01, when he averaged 31.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2.5 steals per game. There were four seasons in total in his career where he averaged over 30 points.
While his own skill as a scorer was a big reason for that, another was that he just did not have many talented offensive players as teammates when he was with the Philadelphia 76ers. It meant there was a big burden on Iverson, and as a result, he took a lot of shots.
With those factors in mind, I think there are two ways to look at what he could have done in today’s NBA. If Iverson was a solo act the way James Harden was toward the end of his time with the Houston Rockets, I think he would have averaged about 35 points per game.
Sure, his shooting wasn’t great, but with the spacing that exists in today’s NBA, Iverson would be able to attack the basket a lot more easily than he did during his day. A reason why I won’t go higher is because he just wouldn’t be allowed to play the kind of minutes he did. After the 2010-11 season, no player has averaged 40 or more minutes per game, and Iverson’s teams would have limited his minutes too.
Now, if Iverson has a talented supporting cast with a co-star, I think you are looking at around about 30.0 points per game. It would be easier for him to score with someone else drawing some attention, but he would also have to share the ball, which would bring down that scoring average.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support.
