Kevin Garnett is wrong about players from his era being able to play in today’s NBA

With all due respect, Kevin Durant is wrong about this one topic.  

Kevin Garnett was known as a big talker on the court during his playing days, and he has continued to live up to this billing in his post NBA career as an analyst. But The Big Ticket’s recent comments about players 20 years ago not being able to play in today’s NBA has sparked a bit of pushback and debate from many fans and talking heads alike.

During a recent interview with The New York Times, the former Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves great was asked about the current state of the NBA. Garnett happily obliged.

"“I don’t think guys from 20 years ago could play in this game,” said Garnett. “Twenty years ago, guys used their hands to control players. Now you can’t use your hands. That makes defense damn near impossible. Can you imagine not hand-checking Michael Jordan? Naw.”"

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"“The fact that you can’t touch players gives the offensive player so much flexibility,” he explained. “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.”"

That was a mouthful, and quite the declaration expounded upon by KG. While Garnett makes a few good points, his overall point is a little off the mark.

So, let us take a more in-depth look and break this down a bit. For this argument, we will take the 2000-01 season and compare it to the 2018-19 season in the NBA. The 2018-19 season is the most recent fully played, uninterrupted season on record for the association due to 2019-20 being shorter because of the pandemic.

NBA scoring

In 2000-01 25 players averaged 20 points per game or more for the season while 31 players accomplished the same feat during the 2018-19 season. Yes, this sounds like an advantage for the younger generation but let’s take a look at the games played.

Out of the 25 players that scored 20 points per game in 2000-01, 11 of them appeared in at least 80 of their team’s games that season. In 2018-19, only nine of the 31 that averaged 20 points per game played in at least 80 games. That’s 44 percent in 2000-01 to 29 percent in 2018-19. Then, of the 25 players in 2000, six played in 82 games, comparing to only four of the 31 in 2018.

Look at it like this, Buddy Hield of the Sacramento Kings averaged 20.7 points per game in 2018-19 and finished the season ranked 28th in scoring average. Does anyone believe Hield would have been a 20 point a night guy in a more physical and defensive-oriented NBA? I don’t think so.

Conversely, you take a guy like Denver Nuggets forward Antonio McDyess. He averaged 20.8 points per game for the 2000-01 season. That ranked 20th in the league. There is no doubt he would be able to produce the same offensive output in today’s NBA with no real resistance at the rim on most nights, based on his style of play during his prime. Shareef Abdur-Rahim is another, and he ranked 21st that season at 20.5 points per game.

NBA minutes played

One of the most glaring discrepancies between the NBA today and yesterday is how much faster the game moves and the pace at which they play. So, now let us take a look at minutes played per game.

Michael Finley of the Dallas Mavericks led the league playing 42 minutes per game (41.99) during that 2000-01 season. In 2018-19 Bradley Beal led the league with 37 minutes per game (36.93). That is almost a half a quarter difference from 2000 to 2018. Those numbers follow suit for the rest of the league in both years.

In 2000-01 38 players averaged 37 or more minutes per game in the NBA. In 2018-19 only two players barely managed to play about 37 minutes per game, and that is being a little generous and rounding up. For the 2000 season, 13 players played 40 or more minutes per game, and of course, in 2018, no player got close to averaging 40 minutes per game.

Final analysis

While Garnett’s sentiment is understood it comes off as inaccurate, and him being a victim of the moment. The game is higher scoring now, and the NBA has skewed the rules in a way that promotes more scoring, and a quicker pace. But to say that players from the late 1990s and early 2000s could not play today is just absurd. If for nothing else, guys would adjust their game to the rules of that time. Just as players did 20 years ago. Garnett said it himself in the interview. Imagine attempting to guard Micahel Jordan and not being able to hand check him. You would not be able to. The same can be said of Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and many other stars from that era.

It has been said many times, but Jordan in his Prime, playing today would easily average 40 points per game. There is no doubt about that. Because of how often guys get to the free-throw line and how easily it is to get to the hoop, many of the scoring threats from the late 1990s and 2000s would likely do extremely well in today’s game. Those that did not shoot the 3 much in their day would adjust and shoot more of them to fit with the times.

Conversely, fewer players of today would fair as well or better in the more physical NBA of yesteryear. Guys like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and a few others would likely have fit in nicely back in 2000. As good as a player like Tobias Harris is today, he is not averaging 20 points per game in the year 2000. Harris and multiple other players that benefit from the downplay of defense in the NBA would struggle to even get their shot off at times had they played 20 years ago. This is not meant to disparage these players, it is just calling a spade a spade.

In conclusion

Whether or not Garnett genuinely believes what he said to The New York Times is irrelevant, because KG is just outright wrong on this one. As great a player as he was, being one of the top five power forwards of all-time, most people would find it hard to fathom that he honestly believes he could not play in today’s NBA. How about we hop in a time machine and travel back to 2004 so we can ask Garnett how he would fair as himself right at that moment, but 15 years into the future.

Garnett won the NBA’s MVP award in 2003-04. Garnett in his prime would be the top PF in the game today. Yes, he would rank above Anthony Davis today, because KG is a leader and a tough you know what.