The game of basketball is played with a much different style today than back in the day, and there is always a debate whether players from different eras could play in other ones.
Former Philadelphia 76ers star Andre Iguodala joined “The Dan LeBatard Show” and he was asked about title teams. One team brought up was the 2004 Detroit Pistons, who didn’t feature a true star and didn’t have anybody on the top 75 players of all-time list.
Iguodala had a very bold claim about Pistons do-it-all forward and Philly native Rasheed Wallace. Iguodala claimed Wallace would be a top-five player in today’s game and he would be better than Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Here are Iguodala’s exact words:
Rasheed Wallace probably could have been a top-five player in the league for a 10-year stretch. He just chose ‘Ahh, I’ll do my thing over here.’ He was shooting half-court shots left-handed and right-handed. If Rasheed Wallace played in modern-day basketball today, if he played in our league today, he’d be a top-five player. He’d be better than Giannis, and I love Giannis.
Iguodala and the Sixers faced Wallace’s Pistons twice in the playoffs, 2005 and 2008, and Wallace went to work in those series. He averaged 17 points and shot 37.5% from deep in the 2005 series, and he averaged 14.5 points and shot 44.8% from deep in the 2008 series. The fact he is a big man who stands 6 feet, 11 inches, he would likely dominate in today’s era as his game is tailor-made for it.
However, the fact that Iguodala said he would better than Antetokounmpo is a bold claim. Wallace would be a terrific fit in today’s era, but Antetokounmpo is also a finals MVP winner and he does so many things at an elite level. Either way, it’s interesting to think about Wallace playing basketball in 2022.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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