Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is without question one of the best players in NBA history. The Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers legend remains the league’s all-time leading scorer, as he kept on scoring throughout different eras in his 20-year NBA career.
But with the league no longer dominated by big men as it was during Abdul-Jabbar’s time, could he have been the same unstoppable force in the modern NBA? He told Colin Cowherd in a recent appearance on The Herd that believes so, as Trevor Lane of Lakers Nation noted.
“I think if I focused on making 3-point shots, and knew it was crucial to my job, I think I could’ve handled it. I was 1-for-13 in my career, so anytime I took a 3-point shot, it was seriously an anomaly.”
For a player as historically gifted at scoring the ball as Abdul-Jabbar, offense likely wouldn’t have been an issue even if he didn’t develop a great 3-point shot. As Jahlil Okafor showed in his rookie year, it’s still possible for a post player to be a 20-point scorer in the league. The big question is whether that's enough to build a successful team around.
Another potential problem could come on defense. Despite being an 11-time All-Defensive Team selection, Kareem would need to chase opposing players along the perimeter in the modern game instead of simply hanging out in the paint.
There’s obviously no way of knowing for sure whether Abdul-Jabbar would’ve been able to thrive in the NBA today. But it would make for an interesting “What if?” debate topic in a sports bar somewhere.
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