Last Updated on June 22, 2024 by Mathew Diekhake
Do newer NBA players always outplay players from the past? There is a common argument that Michael Jordan wouldn’t compete with more recent players because the game has advanced. As I browse the league today, there is no new player who could match Ray Allen at what he did. There’s no new player who could match Kobe Bryant either. Finding a Bryant replacement would be difficult. The closest thing to Ray Allen would be Jordan Hawkins. But Allen looked clearly ahead of Hawkins at the same age.
Ray Allen is my second favorite player of all time to watch. I’ve waited patiently for something similar to succeed him. Nothing has come. It’s hard to imagine anything coming close. I think highly of Jordan Hawkins. And I don’t mean to insult him, but I can’t see him matching the career of Allen. I can barely imagine him driving the ball akin to Allen let alone the smoothness and delivering baskets and game-winning results.
One of the main issues with trying to supersede players of the past is a lack of passion for the game. Ray Allen loved basketball, and that love for the game undoubtedly helped him become what he became. Players today generally don’t love the game the same way players of the past once did. Today, it’s more about the wealth and symbol of success than wanting to be great at basketball. Today, great means being better than today’s players; it doesn’t mean being as good or better than the past.