It doesn’t look like the debate between NBA eras will be ending any time soon. Everyone from fans, media, and the players themselves have pondered why one era is better than another. Former NBA player Jeff Teague was one of the most recent voices to join the debate, citing Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic as the main reason why someone like Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird would have no problem in today’s game.
During a recent episode of the Club 520 podcast, Jeff Teague expressed his belief that Larry Bird will be as impactful as he was when he suited up for the Celtics, due to the perceived perception of Nikola Jokic and Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic not being very athletic to speak of.
“Sometimes I’d watch older guys play, and I’d think, ‘He’s not athletic, he’s not like that.’ But then when I watch Jokic, it seems like he’s moving around, he makes it look so easy,” Teague said. “If Larry Bird played right now, Luka and Jokic would just be hanging out. Larry Bird would have averaged 30, 10 and eight.”
Teague clarified his ‘wandering’ comment a bit more, saying he meant that Jokic and Doncic don’t rely on athleticism to be truly great, they use skill work.
In any case, Bird is already considered one of the greatest players to ever play the game. He played for 13 years in the NBA with the Celtics before injuries derailed his career. He helped lead the Celtics to three NBA championships, won three MVP awards, was the 1979–80 Rookie of the Year, and was named an All-Star in all but one season.
He has career averages of 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.7 steals on 49.6 percent shooting from the field, 37.6 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 88.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
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