Sixers news: Allen Iverson admits it would've been 'fun' to play in current NBA as PG position has evolved

Philadelphia Sixers legend and Hall of Famer, Allen Iverson, would've loved the opportunity to play the evolved point guard position in today's NBA.

Allen Iverson is already viewed as one of the greatest point guards to have dribbled a basketball. The Sixers legend earned several distinguished titles throughout his 14-year career in the NBA, including a league MVP award in 2005, an All-Star Game MVP in 2001 and 11 All-Star nods. However, he feels that he could have an even more significant impact in today's game.

Iverson recently sat down for a wide-ranging interview with Jordan Brenner of The Athletic. Amid their discussion, Iverson was asked to comment on how the game has evolved since his playing days:

“It's definitely different than it used to be,” Iverson told The Athletic. “A lot of times, the point guard was just a guy to set up the other playmakers, just to get them the ball. But the point guard position is a lot more involved now.”

There is no question about the impact Iverson had on the NBA. Frankly, his ball-handling skills revolutionized the game. In fact, a lot of players are still trying to imitate his lethal crossover dribble to this day.

“Fun,” Iverson said of playing in today's NBA. “It would have been fun.”

In Iverson's era, it was often commonplace for point guards to be viewed as pure facilitators. It was an age of dominant big men and slashing shooting guards. Despite that fact, “The Answer,” as he came to be known, brought a flashy new style of play to his position.

Were there other great point guards throughout the history of the NBA? Of course. Simply put, though, Iverson's game was on another level.

“The way the game is now, AI would be the point guard and you would surround him with shooters and then just have him run a ton of pick-and-rolls,” says Tyronn Lue, who simulated Iverson for the Lakers in practice during the 2001 Finals — right down to the compression sleeve.

Now a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Allen Iverson holds career averages of 26.7 points on 42.5 percent shooting from the field (31.3 percent from beyond the arc), 6.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.2 steals in 41.1 minutes per outing.