Back when Allen Iverson was crossing defenders out of their shoes and using his breakneck style of play to become one of the most feared scorers in NBA history, the game was a lot slower than it is now. So, that begs the question, would he be the same successful scorer in today’s game that he was during his era?
A study put forward by The Ringer suggests that Iverson could be even better in today’s game. They wrote:
AI was a speed demon plunged into a slow-down era. During his rookie season, the Sixers led the NBA in pace with 97.05 possessions per 48 minutes; that would’ve ranked 29th this season. Under the watchful eyes of Larry Brown, Billy King, and the rest of the Sixers’ early-aughts brass, Iverson was like a running back facing a loaded box on every snap; he shouldered nearly the entire creative workload for teams with limited offensive talent that were built to grind down the action and win defensive slugfests.
Another aspect of Iverson’s game to consider when talking about today’s game is free throws. He averaged 8.9 free throws per game and that was in an era where hand-checking was allowed. With that part of defense no longer allowed, imagine how many free-throw attempts he would average per game. James Harden, for example, averages 11.8 free throws per game in 2019-20. Iverson could exceed that number.
The only thing that could maybe hold Iverson back in today’s era is his lack of a 3-point shot. He only shot 31.3% from deep for his career, but if you put the right pieces around him, he would dominate.
The Ringer added:
Maybe Iverson’s shaky 3-point shooting would hamstring him in this era, with defenders sagging off of him and going under high screens to try to take away his driving lanes. The bet here, though, is that if you gave him a rim-running screen-and-roll big man, a couple of 3-and-D types to stick in the corners, and a competent complementary playmaker on the wing, he would absolutely annihilate even the most carefully constructed and disciplined drop coverages with that lightning-quick first step.
Imagine Iverson paired up with a big man like Joel Embiid and surrounded by a Robert Covington type of player. While he doesn’t have the shooting ability like Stephen Curry or Damian Lillard, he had one of the quickest and explosive first steps anybody has ever seen. There is no reason to think that he wouldn’t be a consistent 20 points per game scorer in today’s era. [lawrence-related id=30250,30225,30241]