Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas is convinced he would dominate today’s NBA: ‘The rules now favor me’

This is not the first time we hear former legends talk about today’s game as if it was easier nowadays, but we also can’t help but wonder how older players would fare in the modern NBA. Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas believes the rules would favor him more today than back in the 90s, and we believe him. 

There’s not doubt that one of the greatest point guards of all time would also thrive in today’s basketball. “If I dominated then, I would dominate now”, Thomas boldly said on the “All The Smoke” podcast this week.

Here is the full interview in Showtime Basketball:

One of the main reasons the former Pistons star said this with such ease, is mostly because of all the recent modifications to the in the NBA rulebook that protects offensive plays. “The rules now favor me. They favor the small guy; they favor me now. Ain’t nobody in the lane,” he explained. “See, every time I drove down the lane, there is six people in the lane, you know?”

The two-time NBA champion explained an specific situation on court.”There is me and my defender, and then there is, you know, two bigs, so you gotta be tricky around the basket,” he said. “Now you driving down the lane ain’t nobody there, so you get to stretch out lay up. If you saw me coming down, I had to ball up and then come out.”

Thomas explains that the biggest advantage of the modern league is the three-second rule, which existence avoids defensive athletes from “camping” in the paint, waiting to press attackers. The first time this rule was implemented was back in 2001, as the NBA was starting to progress into a more offensive-minded contest, with less pauses and more motion.

However, with today’s heavy dependance on three-point shooters, the floor has been cleared providing more room to dominate when attacking the basket. And this makes us think that Thomas, who was amazing when assaulting the rim, would have no problem is the modern game.

Check out some of Isiah’s best moments playing guard for Detroit in the NBA:

Isiah Thomas highlights 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/CtU6cyAQEH

— FootBasket™.com (@FootBasket) March 13, 2023

“Like I say, if I dominated then, I would dominate now. And make no mistake about it. In the game of basketball, some people may say you are arrogant – I don’t care. I am extremely confident in my skills, and my ability, and what I was doing, and what I could do. I can’t do it now, but you know, I would be alright,” the legend concluded.

Even though he was considered undersized, standing at only six-foot-one, Thomas was able to exploit his tremendous vision and find defensive holes to create scoring opportunities, producing one of the greatest assists ever seen in the league.

I mean, he was selected 12 times as an All-Star for a reason, you know? Today’s rules would allow him even more space when driving towards the basket and even more time to think and shoot. So, we are with Isiah on this one!