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The discussion in the big offseason thread got me thinking about where a Prime Steve Nash would rank in today's NBA and how would he do in this era of pace and space.

The only PG in today's NBA that I would quite easily put over Nash is Steph. Steph is an elite creator, passer, an even better shooter
and more adaptable (IMO) than Nash and he can defend some as well. Nash never really got to play in a system or with other players that took the ball out of his hands or expected him to be a scorer even though he probably could've played that role but because we've seen Steph in roles where he's an off-ball shooter/scorer and also where he's the primary creator/passer, I think I'd consider him to be more adaptable. Steph can essentially be anything that the Warriors need him to be.

I'd have a prime Nash over Dame, Westbrook, Wall, Kyrie and Kemba.

In today's NBA, I think Nash would be expected to score more (which we know he was capable of), in an even faster pace offense than the SSOL Suns and would likely be surrounded by 3&D guys. I'd probably think he'd average close to 24/10

I think you nailed every point.
If Coach D unleashed Nash's shooting, his numbers would have been insanity.

lilfishi22 wrote:The discussion in the big offseason thread got me thinking about where a Prime Steve Nash would rank in today's NBA and how would he do in this era of pace and space.

The only PG in today's NBA that I would quite easily put over Nash is Steph. Steph is an elite creator, passer, an even better shooter
and more adaptable (IMO) than Nash and he can defend some as well. Nash never really got to play in a system or with other players that took the ball out of his hands or expected him to be a scorer even though he probably could've played that role but because we've seen Steph in roles where he's an off-ball shooter/scorer and also where he's the primary creator/passer, I think I'd consider him to be more adaptable. Steph can essentially be anything that the Warriors need him to be.

I'd have a prime Nash over Dame, Westbrook, Wall, Kyrie and Kemba.

In today's NBA, I think Nash would be expected to score more (which we know he was capable of), in an even faster pace offense than the SSOL Suns and would likely be surrounded by 3&D guys. I'd probably think he'd average close to 24/10

If we take it a step further and bring prime Shawn Marion(06-07 season) he would probably be top 5-10 player in this league with his skillset.

Take any of the primers weve run through this franchise.... they all would be successful. Chambers would kill it, Nance, Barkley, Walter Davis, Westphal... heck, Alvin Adams would be a stud. Basketball is basketball, and it seems the talent dictates the style of play as much as anything. Hard to imagine the big guys like Shaq, Moses, Ewing, Hakeem, Jabbar, Malone, McHale, Rasheed etc not being effective. Of course those are close HoFers, but dominance is dominace at any position and prime Nash would have been great in any era.

I think Nash might be one of the best “floor raisers” in nba history. I think he could take a bad team further then any of the current pgs.

Frank Lee wrote:Take any of the primers weve run through this franchise.... they all would be successful. Chambers would kill it, Nance, Barkley, Walter Davis, Westphal... heck, Alvin Adams would be a stud. Basketball is basketball, and it seems the talent dictates the style of play as much as anything. Hard to imagine the big guys like Shaq, Moses, Ewing, Hakeem, Jabbar, Malone, McHale, Rasheed etc not being effective. Of course those are close HoFers, but dominance is dominace at any position and prime Nash would have been great in any era.

I recently have been putting more thought-emphasis on how changes in rules affect the game. the 3s in the paint, the creation of the restricted area, the verticality rule, all have removed power from traditional bigs and forced them away from the basket, pushing them to shoot more. I don't think Shaq would be as dominant nowadays, for example.

I would take prime Nash over any other point guard in today's NBA. Curry is the only real debate, but I think Nash's court vision is superior and outweighs what he may give up to him on defense.

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Absolutely agree Nash would be awesome in today's NBA and he would score more. I think dantoni mentioned in an interview he wishes he would have had Nash and the whole team shoot even more 3s.

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WeekapaugGroove wrote:Absolutely agree Nash would be awesome in today's NBA and he would score more. I think dantoni mentioned in an interview he wishes he would have had Nash and the whole team shoot even more 3s.

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Nash has said looking back he wishes he would have shot more 3s.

I believe these are feasible possibilities:

-Michael Beasley goes on to have a career trajectory closer to Blake Griffin than being a fringe NBA player. Never makes an All-NBA team, but might be able to squeeze in a few All-Star appearances (coach's selection) and puts up respectable numbers on decent efficiency. On the side, Beasley becomes a volunteer D.A.R.E officer and also spends his free time mentoring K-12 students on the value of education & living healthy, productive lifestyles.
-Miles Plumlee scores more points in 1 season with Nash over the entire span of his egregious 4 year 50 million contact.
-PJ Tucker remains PJ Tucker
-TJ Warren becomes a 25+ ppg scorer
-Devin Booker scores less, but with higher percentages. Also turns out to be an okay defender at positions 1-2 since he's no longer the focal point on offense. Moreover, he signs a 4/80 million dollar deal as his full (Joe) Johnson isn't exposed with Nash at the helm. So, more valuable.
-Kokoskov doesn't get fired
-Ayton most likely wins ROY

I miss watching Nash so much. We were so spoiled. Holy ****, I miss him.

Calvin Klein wrote:I miss watching Nash so much. We were so spoiled. Holy ****, I miss him.

Not just him but that whole team. Nash, Marion and Amare was such a special trio to have.

As for the topic of Nash's scoring, the man just didn't want to score. He would turn it on when the team was struggling or if there was just not feasible passing angle, but other than that he passed the ball and didn't shoot. He could easily have been one of the top scorers some years.

I'm listening to the Knuckleheads podcast with Amare. The way they talk about Nash is awesome. I've yet to listen to the Nash podcast.