20 old school players who would have thrived in the modern NBA

Would thrive today because: He was a blend of the best parts of Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis.

Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon was a Pantheon-level NBA player, but he would have been even better utilized in today's game. Modern four-and-five-out spacing would have allowed him to take much better advantage of his cat-like quickness on the offensive end. And if you thought peak Anthony Davis was an elite defender, Olajuwon once averaged 4.6 BPG and 2.1 SPG...in the same season (and somehow didn't win Defensive Player of the Year, which is now named after him, in 1989-90!). Lastly, like some of the other greats on this list, he would have been encouraged from a young age to utilize his soft touch and shoot three-pointers, which, if he could consistently hit them, would have landed him in the GOAT conversation.

Would thrive today because: He had a LeBron James-type of impact on games despite rarely utilizing a skill - three-point shooting - that set him apart from the rest of the league.

Larry Bird is obviously one of the top-10 players in NBA history. His two greatest skills - shooting and playmaking - are the most important skills in today's game. He was a legendary competitor and made his teammates better in a manner similar to Nikola Jokic today. However, nobody in the 1980s shot three-pointers, and Bird was no different (1.9 attempts per game for his career). Bird shot over 40 percent from distance in six seasons and undoubtedly would have been putting up a volume more akin to current Celtic great, Jayson Tatum (10.1 per game last season).

Would thrive today because: He was the original LaMelo Ball and averaged 26.5 PPG and 5.9 APG between 1973-1978.

College basketball's most prolific scorer and exciting player didn't play on a basketball court with a three-point line until he was 32 years old! And technically shot 66.7 percent from deep for his career (on 15 total attempts). A player who could hit shots from anywhere inside half-court, Pistol Pete would have been absurdly entertaining in today's game. 

Would thrive today because: He was the original 50-40-90 lead guard.

In light of the successes of players like Steph Curry and Damian Lillard, Steve Nash has lamented in his post-playing career that he didn't let it fly more frequently when he was the best guard in basketball. And, boy is he right! The guy never attempted more than 4.7 three-pointers a game in his career despite hitting 39 percent or better in 16 of his 18 seasons!! The two-time MVP leaned more into his passing (five-time assist-leader) but probably would have found a better balance in today's era. 

Would thrive today because: If you think Evan Mobley is a great player, Kevin Garnett was that, and more!!

Kevin Garnett's Hall of Fame career could have been even better had he played today for two reasons. First, like so many stars today, he would have felt the "but he's never won anything!" pressure much earlier in his career and demanded a trade out of Minnesota much sooner than he did - it wasn't until his 13th season that he left that crummy organization! Second, he was a very good jump shooter who would have been encouraged to take a step or two back on those long-range twos and turn them into three-point attempts. This slight tweak would have turned a low-to-mid 20s PPG guy into a mid-to-high 20s PPG guy in his prime and possibly increased the already lofty trajectory of his career.

Would thrive today because: He was 7-foot-1, ran like a gazelle, and played like a more defensively inclined version of Giannis Antetokounmpo. 

Between 1990-1996, David Robinson averaged 25.6 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 3.1 APG, 3.6 BPG and 1.7 SPG. Those are extremely Giannis-like numbers, and something tells me he'd be an absolute menace in the open court in today's game as well. He won both an MVP, a Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year during that time, and made All-NBA teams every single season. 

Would thrive today because: He had point guard skills at 6-foot-10, 245 pounds

Chris Webber is a Hall of Fame player and was one of the most skilled big men to ever pass through the NBA. However, his career didn't play out how it should have - he could have played next to Shaquille O'Neal had the Magic not traded him on draft night; he got traded from a great situation in Golden State to a bad situation in Washington after winning Rookie of the Year; and he was on the wrong end of the Tim Donaghy scandal in Sacramento.  Let's give him a reprieve here because the guy could do everything on the basketball court at a high level. Need scoring? He once averaged 27.1 PPG. How about rebounding? He led the NBA with 13 RPG in 1998-99. What about playmaking? He dished out 5.4 APG in 2002-03. Oh, and he could defend too - with career highs at 2.2 BPG and 1.8 SPG.

Would thrive today because: He was Nikola Jokic before Nikola Jokic.

Arvydas Sabonis' NBA stats look a little pedestrian, but the 7-foot-3 Lithuanian was either injured (he tore his Achilles in the before the 1985 NBA Draft) or barred by the Soviets from playing in the United States for a number of years thereafter. By the time he made it to the league, he was probably the most decorated European player ever, but also no longer in his prime. Nonetheless, by all accounts, he played like a point center in the post in a manner similar to Jokic - or a giant version of his son, Domantas Sabonis - and probably would have been an All-NBA big man in the 80s and 90s, and almost certainly today.

Would thrive today because: He was an elite movement shooter who would have played more like Klay Thompson in today's era.

Reggie Miller is a Hall-of-Famer and one of the top competitors of his era, but he would have been an even tougher guard in today's game because of his endless motor and shooting ability. If he played today, he'd have shot way more threes than the 4.7 per game he attempted during his career, and he would have been even better. Want proof? Look no further than his playoff performances, where he dialed up his three-point shooting to 5.7 per game, but maintained his efficiency and could even go toe-to-toe with Michael Jordan at times.

Would thrive today because: He was a 40 percent career three-point shooter.

Not quite a Hall-of-Famer, but in his prime, Glen Rice was a problem. The 6-foot-8 sweet-shooting small forward was a premier bucket-getter who would have excelled even more in today's NBA, where shooting and positional size are paramount to success. Between 1992-1998, Rice averaged 22.2 PPG with 47-41-85 shooting splits - an attempted fewer than five threes per game! He'd probably be shooting double that in today's game.

Would thrive today because: He averaged 25.3 PPG, 6.5 APG, 4.5 RPG and 2.9 SPG on 51-37-77 shooting in the 2007 playoffs

Baron Davis gave us a glimpse of what kind of player he'd be in today's game during the magical "We Believe" Warriors run in the 2007 playoffs. Davis was the best player in the league during the first two rounds - completely impossible to stay in front of due to his power and quickness, and a superstar capable of outplaying the league's MVP (Dirk Nowitzki) in a seven-game series. The Warriors were ahead of their time, and Davis's prime was over shortly thereafter. 

Would thrive today because: Averaged 21.4 PPG on 51-45-84 shooting in his final two NBA seasons

Drazen Petrovic tragically lost his life at the age of 28 years old in a car accident during the offseason after his finest NBA season, in which he made third-team All-NBA. He was poised to become one of the game's top scoring guards. And this was despite him not even coming close to maximizing his efficiency, as he only attempted 2.4 three-point attempts in his final season, even though he made nearly half of them. In today's game, he'd have been a blend of Devin Booker and Tyler Herro. 

Would thrive today because: He was a rich man's Lauri Markkanen.

In 2003-04, Peja Stojakovic finished fourth in MVP and averaged 24.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG and had 48-43-93 shooting splits. The 6-foot-10 small forward accomplished this feat while only shooting 6.8 three-pointers a game. That would rank 27th in three-point attempts per game this past season. Stojakovic was a cog in the Kings' offensive machine, which featured other excellent players like Chris Webber, Mike Bibby, and Vlade Divac; today, an entire offense would be built around his shooting ability.

Would thrive today because:  He was Dyson Daniels on steroids.

Andrei Kirilenko was an absolute madman on the basketball court, especially on the defensive end. From 2004-2006, he averaged 3 BPG and 1.7 SPG while also putting up a respectable 15.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG and 3.6 APG on the offensive end. During that stretch, he had three separate 5x5 games (recorded five or more points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals in a single game). Only Hakeem Olajuwon (six) has more. AK47 was a blur in the open court and built for the fast-paced, modern game, but played the majority of his career in an era that featured bogged-down offense.

Would thrive today because: He could have led the NBA in scoring in the late '80s if he had taken more three-pointers

From 1987-1990, Dale Ellis averaged 25.6 PPG on 51-41-80 shooting...and only attempted 3.7 threes per game. In fact, in 17 seasons, the 6-foot-7 wing never shot worse than 35.8 percent from long range, and had 10 seasons where he shot 40 percent or better from three. 10!! When you watch some of his highlights, you come away thinking, why is he taking so many long-twos? If he moves back a foot, he'd be averaging 30 PPG!

Would thrive today because: He would have been viewed as a lead guard as opposed to a 6-foot-3 shooting guard

While he clearly didn't possess the drive and character that Damian Lillard possesses, there's no reason Ben Gordon couldn't have been a Dame-type of scoring point guard in today's game. Just watch the way he performed in the seven-game classic playoff series against the Celtics in 2009 and you'll see an incredibly tough, gifted, athletic, clutch bucket-getter that would be a stud in today's game. He might have even been put in the Lillard role with the Bulls had they not won the 2008 lottery and landed Derrick Rose. 

Would thrive today because: He was Steph Curry before Steph Curry. 

Phil Jackson once made a controversial comparison to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (formerly Chris Jackson) when talking about Stephen Curry's emergence as one of the game's best players. And while he got blasted for it...he wasn't wrong! Abdul-Rauf could shoot contested shots as well as anybody until Curry came along. 

Note: He was still getting buckets as a 50-year-old in the Big 3.

Would thrive today because: He had the skill set of Karl-Anthony Towns.

If Sam Perkins played today, he would have been the ideal stretch-five for a team with a fast-paced offense like the Indiana Pacers. At 6-foot-9 and 235 pounds, he possessed the size to battle with the dominant centers of his era, and more than held his own. It wasn't until later in his career, when he played for the Seattle Sonics and offensive guru George Karl, that he started taking advantage of his feathery touch and launching three-balls at a decent rate (peaking with 4.4 attempts per game in 1995-96 - the year the Sonics made the Finals). Today, he would have been shooting that many threes per game from the second he entered the league.

Would thrive today because: He has the NBA's highest-career three-point percentage (45.4)

The man who unlocked the full potential of the Splash Brothers would have loved playing in today's era with all the three-point shooting and spacing. While he was more Seth Curry than Steph Curry, he was nonetheless a psychotic competitor who wasn't afraid to take a punch from Michael Jordan and also wasn't afraid to take the biggest shot of the 1997 NBA Finals. 

Would thrive today because: He shot 52.2 percent from three between 1994-1996.

While I'm sure Tim Legler wishes that he had played in today's era - where he would be the recipient of Grayson Allen or Duncan Robinson-type of life-changing contracts - I'm thankful he's an NBA analyst instead. Legs was arguably the best shooter in basketball in the 90s, and he's arguably the best basketball commentator in the world today, and certainly the best at ESPN.