That Magic Johnson analysis by Isiah Thomas is one of my most favorite cuts of Open Court. What Nikola Jokic is doing now is what I imagine what Magic would have done in this era
Exactly! They were looking at isaiah like he was crazy but he was the only person that was right, can you imagine magic playing today? He can't shoot 3s, pull up midrange, crossover or play defense, he did everything on the fast break he would've been similar to Ben simmons but less athletic, how he sposed to gaurd kyrie, lilliard, fox, curry, harden etc
Thomas Kim Stockton respects Isaiah just as much.They 1st met up while in H.S and Isaiah was so dominating it made Stockton realize how far he had to go and made him work even that much harder to eventually get to the HOF level he attained.
Almost up to the "Slam Dunk" session Dr. J was in. Of all the Open Courts I've seen, the ones with Shaq are the only competiton for "closest to a Top 10 alltime player", but Dr. J had a LOT more effect on the style of play of the league than Shaq did.
I don’t know what it is, but every open court including Brent Barry leaves me with the impression that he’s misunderstood by everyone else on the panel.
It's because he breaks their lazy assumptions which they can't deal with; he's white and won the dunk contest. And he has 2 rings so they can't simply dismiss him.
he was also a former players son and white so they resent him for not working to get where he is...they think he got in the nba because of his dad not his skills...the rest of them worked for it...even steve kerr kenny smith dennis scott...they weren't handed anything....they have to be confident to make it cause many dont...it takes more than skill..its who you know..barry knew the right people and had a head start on many kids so he was a shoe in..obviously he could play but so can any 19 year old child...what made him stand out?..@@Mephiam
Grant Hill is too nice. He was LeBron before LeBron. 6"8' SF, handle the ball, great passer, had that all around game and was explosive. Just injuries stopped him.
I love Grant Hill but LeBron was better. Hill was smoother and had the better handle and post up moves. But LeBron was more powerful, faster, jumped higher, better three point shooter and could defend bigs better. Passing, rebounding, overall defense was a wash.
g thrill is a great nickname that I dont remember anyone calling him but I like it..it plays with his last name being hill and his first name ending with t so t-hill+ r=thrill lol....
From the basic style of the 60's, to the freshness and flare of the 70's, to the toughness and grit of the 80's, to the explosiveness and defense of the 90's, to the crossovers and scoring of the 00's and finally to the three ball and fast pace ness of today's NBA.
@Kevin Huang There have been other rule changes that had just as much of an impact - like the "Flagrant Foul" rule growing TEETH after the 1990 season and putting an end to the domination of the "Bad Boy" Pistons while enabling Jordan to become the best player of his era.
@Kevin Huang The flagrant foul rule when it first appeared had no teeth - the penalties were a joke. And I don't buy into the "rigging" theory or the "made the game dirtier" theory at all. Also, the Malice in the Palace was caused by SPECTATORS, not by the Flagrant Foul rule, so that logic has ZERO basis - in fact it wasn't a FOUL at all that caused the Malice.
The more I listen to Steve Kerr, the more I realize that he really has the vision and understanding of a great coach. No wonder he was a successful coach despite being technically a newbie at it
lets give Isaiah credit for showing class (yet being honest) about john Stockton skill set and toughness considering how Isaiah was snubbed from the dream team and Stockton made the team. stockton deserved to be on that team but so did Isaiah period ! BTW as a side note: Gary Peyton has always given stockton serious props also.
@@slaythompson I've been thinking about it and while I know many will disagree I think in the ways that matter the most Isaiah might have been the closest thing to Jordan we saw in that era. Size and position not withstanding their work ethics, desire to win, team approach and absolute insistence on the game going their way (willing success into existence) are common traits. I think the fact that they were bitter towards each other suggest this also since we know that people often dislike others in which they see traits of themselves.
@Jason Graves Don Buse can argue the point, but Stockton was a good defensive PG longer than Don was. Don doesn't get a lot of respect though as a large part of his career was in the ABA - but look at who led the league in Assists AND Steals the year after the merger....
Man I love this show so much. Just seeing these legends that have already impacted the game so much just sitting around together, laughing, discussing the game, having a good time, being entertaining, and all while getting paid to do it at that.
yeah man i feel like they kinda dont give him enough respect, for instance when they spoke of the similarities between nash and stockton, kenny just kinda politely considered his opinion irrelevant, while for everybody else they kinda had a warmer reception of what they said, dunno
@@stannisthemannis534 Pretty funny when Kenny was saying he would force Stockton to shoot and the first thing Zeke said was about how good of a shooter Stockton was. Kenny really thinks he's much more knowledgeable than he is.
Kenny here's a few that would thrive- Duncan, Melo, Dirk, PG, CP3, KD, Kawhi, Kobe, LeBron, James Harden, Russell Westbrook for his mentality. Many more would've still been stars throughout different era's.
Zeke's analysis on Magic if he played today is honestly spot on. He'd be a perfect point power forward or center like Draymond or hell even Jokic today
100 percent. He understood that basketball was becoming positionless and center could make plays and run an offense. Jokic is everything he explained with what magic would be today. Just shows his basketball IQ.
EXACTLY.Dudes would just have to throw the ball in the post and get out the way.I think if Wilt played today he possibly could lead the league in points and assists.He's doubled in the post....kick out for an open shooter: ASSIST Single coverage in the post: DUNK, FINGER ROLL, 8 foot shot.Joel Embiid is not Wilt, but if he focused on a low post game I dont see anybody consistently stopping him.
Wilt + Euro step = totally unfair. He's a Hall of Fame player in two sports. He would dominate in any era, in any sport, in my opinion. He was a track and field star in college and a Globetrotter before his first NBA game. The next time you're on the court, look down. The lane is as wide as it is because of Wilt. When both the rules and the field of play change because of you, you're dominant on a previously unfeasible level.
@@musicandmagic909 I agree.Alot of big men were stiffs in Wilt's era and one of the reasons Wilt stood out is not only because of his size, but its because he combined size with athleticism and power.Great players would dominate in ANY eras.You said when they have to change the rules to make it HARDER for ONE player ( The wider lane in the pros, outlawing the dunk for Kareem so he develops the most UNSTOPPABLE shot in basketball history) nothing defines greatness more than that.They are telling you that you are too good.
I agree with everyone comparing Grant Hill to Lebron, in fact, had it not been for that ankle injury, we could have seen Grant Hill develop a 3pt jump shot. I honestly thought that for the 3-4 years I watched him play in the 90s, he was the greatest player in transition and if he was to play with a great big man or point guard in his pistons years, he would have had rings.
He actually shot about 35% from 3 in 2000 m, granted it was with much fewer attempts than LeBron but it was a sign that he was already developing that 3 point shot in his game. Really sucks he had that injury. To me, he's the biggest what if in the NBA. With the injury, he still had a memorable career and actually lasted 19 years. But imagine if he wasn't actually injured. The matchups he would've had with LeBron from 2004 to 2010 would've awesome to see.
Charles Barkley love it Chuck. As a former college asst I love your sense of humor. And I miss guys like you Stockton Malone Rodman Oakley Mason Majerle Doc the list goes on. Guys that brought their lunch pail and played. Instead of a wussifued league today
Stockton was a beast. I only see that dog attitude in Russel and maybe Dame, but not the ball distribution tho. If they ever get to really know how to run a half court offense, you think they're unstoppable now?
@@773ohh6 Dame is the better scorer and clutch shooter, Stockton is better at virtually everything else. Passing, defending, screening, running a half court set
Kenny buggin tf out lmaooo. Yeah it was more physical I always agree w that but the SUPERSTARS today would be SUPERSTARS in any era. I want what he’s smoking.
Only era I'd say you probably wouldn't be able to put them in would be the early 60s and any era prior due to how the coaches were against much flashy play (I think Chamberlain said something along those lines when he was talking about why he thought Jordan would be on the bench in his era). Other than that, who is gonna stop Giannis or Steph or some other superstar from today?
Finally someone speaking truth about Stockton. So sick of hearing haters talk trash without understanding his game. Talk to Isiah! Talk to Payton! Stockton was the REAL DEAL. Malone didn't make Stockton! Stockton made Malone! When you got a point guard that tough, that willing to penetrate and kick, that willing to help you get the points instead of him, that willing to set screens on guys 3 times his size - you gonna be a better player! A point guard like that can make an average player look like an all star. In the case of Malone he made an all star look like a hall of famer. Don't get me wrong though, having a good power forward like Malone makes him as a point guard look better but when it comes down to it - Stockton was the man. And let's be honest as a white dude he gets vastly underrated. If you see a white ball player but know nothing about him what do you think? "Meh, probably a good shooter but unathletic and soft." Now what do all the NBA players who played him have to say? "Toughest mfer I ever had to guard. I was always happy when he went to the bench cuz I got a breather on defense." - Gary the glove Payton.
But zeke is better than stockton though. I still remember when zeke torched john and scored 44 points on him because zeke is pretty petty on Olympics lol. Stockton is my 2nd fav PG of all time.
Chris Webber said the same thing. He made rookies sit with him on the bus to watch Stockton drive up in a minivan and get his kids out of the car, then they would get in the game and Stockton would fucking bash their heads in. Really put things into perspective.
Was just about to say the same thing with Magic in today's game, although Kerr actually stepped up and said "No" to the PnR conversation. Smith and someone else said yes you'd do that, but Magic would have to shoot the ball from the outside a lot more which would not bode well. I mean he could be the A+ version of Ben Simmons which is extremely valuable even in today's game at the PG spot, but then we're no longer talking about him as Top 1-5 player all-time. Also as big as he is and with how much faster the game is today there's no way he sticks there more than a handful of years because of the wear and tear on the body.
Crazy how they didn’t think point centers would exist like embiid, Jokic, giannis, etc. . Love how the game evolves and how these conversations “didn’t age well”, I love this show for that reason. I love it
Magic Johnson, just like he revolutionized the PG position in the 80s, in this era he would almost become a point center with handling and cutting skills
Mitch O'Brien 7 foot 2? He grew 3 inches? Damn... but I agree with Kenny a guy like embid is average at best in 80s n 90s... Durant would be great in any era ..but he’s mentally weak... he joined a 73-9 team n still let rockets take them 7
Top Kek well how in the fuck am I gonna know u meant 2 guard and not 7 foot , two guard dumbass....read what u wrote ..you are not smart enough to understand why people would think that.. like 2 guard is some obscure reference.. for god sake everyone knows what a 2 guard is
Nah, Grant Hill was more like Scottie Pippen. They're both the same offensively in terms of both never had a decent jumper but could get to the rim with ease.
Listening to Isiah Thomas talking about how Magic would revolutionize the Center position as a Point-Center makes me think of Jokic today. Of course, Magic was way faster and more athletic than Jokic, but just the concept of revolutionizing how the Center position is played.
8:10 that whole segment about John Stockton. I don't know who today's Stockton is, but spinning it around I can definitely say I believe Stockton would DOMINATE in today's league. He'd hold his own defensively but then in a league that practically pays defenders not to defend, he would just feast on those open spots and punish teams all over the perimeter inside and out and then create for others, and with his FT%, can't foul em.
Jazz fan over here, there are two former players I'd love to see in today's game: Stockton and Kirilenko they would fit in just great with Ingles, Mitchell and Gobert and be a defensive nightmare.
nah men perimeter defenses are way better today 1. and 2 he was never a very willing scorer, i think his points per game would definitely be better but i don't see him as an elite scorer in order to dominate. he would be great as he was in the 90s while also having to deal with better schemes, larger perimeter players, zones and in general just more troublesome defenses for the perimeter.
And here we are having a Magic Johnson type player at the Center: Nikola Jokic. Yeah Magic would be better than Nikola, but he would be a Point Center. Zeeke is absolutely on point.
kenny thinks too highly of himself it's almost funny and pitying at the same time. he's just a role player. not even close being an all-star type of player. there are countless of guys better than him. gives too much credit to himself smh
Jebaited Kenny peaked early talent wise.Was a great guard coming outta H.S.Had a decent career at UNC and some good yrs early as a pro...but tailed off quickly.He thinks his NBA career was great cause he rode Akeems coattails to 2 rings.
@rudy2fat I'm not arguing that but to me there are guys at that level who are solid statistically like he and many others but Kenny was a strong leader and he was tough on the court. To me he was worth a lot more than his numbers which were strong.
25:45 Kenny nailed it. For years the MVP was a championship caliber player who made it or won the NBA finals at some point in their career, LIKE CLOCKWORK. They may not have won but they made it to the finals. Then all of the sudden, that metric changed. Players from relatively obscure teams with obscure success became MVP. The metric for greatness changed.
It's kinda interesting how Steve Kerr is the most open minded person. I find it annoying how people always say this modern era is the easiest to play. Like now the defensive schemes are so much harder to play in and it's so much more physically demanding.
i think the nba now is harder on defenses because they use the corners wings and the entire 3 point line so you have to cover the pain and the high post as well as the 3 ball and its just to much space to cover ..they probably should extend the 3 point line or make the basket higher or make the court longer cause teams score too easy now...its like cupcakes...
@@lubabalomengu1845 this was filmed before he was coaching tho. I tgink the reason why warriors succeeded was cause Kerr is so open minded and just uses his players skillsets to the best they can be usedz
@@medadleong746 yeah, he was GM in this era too. My point was, he's seen the evolution of the game up close. Instead of watching from the sidelines and reminiscing on the "tough" 80s and 90s....
isiah is absolutely right, magic johnson would have revolutionized the center position how jokic is revolutionizing it now. both high post playmakers with scoring ability and crazy high basketball IQ
