Bird would be unstoppable not only because of his shooting and passing prowess but also because of “his innate toughness and his innate competitive nature in today’s, like, everybody-get-along, I-hope-you-like-me league.”
The topic of how retired legends might perform in the NBA today is one that never goes away. Kevin McHale said that Larry Bird would stomp the competition if he were still playing.
It’s difficult to disagree with what he says, particularly after learning the reasons behind his steadfast stance.
Versatility in offense
McHale said to Heavy Sports, “Oh, good lord, Larry would terrorize this league in today’s game.” “To start with, Larry could pull a fast one. His passing would be all the more notable with all the space and everything that exists today. Additionally, he could have moved with the ball more easily. Larry was a straight-line basketball player until he became too old to play. He could get into the paint whenever he wanted to thanks to his pump fake and rapid dribbling.”
Most people who watched The Legend play will concur with McHale’s assessment of his Boston Celtics colleague. The three-time MVP was a versatile player who could create his own shots in addition to being a floor general.
including offensive versatility is shared by today’s best players, including as Luka Doncic, to whom Bird has frequently been compared because of their similar play styles, physiques, and relative lack of athleticism.
Three-point hazard
Bird would have been even more unstoppable today if he had had a weapon, according to McHale.
But with all the threes they’re taking these days, his shooting skill would be absurd,” McHale went on. He didn’t spend a lot of time working on his 3. Not a single one did. He finished his practice session with about 35 threes. Now he would shoot a ton before the All-Star Game. He went there just to win the long-range shooting competition, deposit the winnings, and be able to say s**t to everyone and tell them to kiss his ass.”
If Bird were playing now, he would have killed it from beyond the arc. He has a career 3-point percentage of 37.6%. However, he only tried 1.9 shots from deep because the outside shot was not given much priority at the time.
Additionally, during All-Star weekends in 1986–1988, the legendary Celtics player dominated the first three incarnations of the game, raining 3-pointers left and right. He even wore a warm-up jacket to the 1988 competition with confidence.
